Heidi Alexander’s told business leaders at the AirportsUK annual conference in London that it would mean a boost for jobs and investment.
But she says the government still needs to make a final decision about the expansion plans following a consultation.
Campaigners against the expansion have long argued that the project is a financial white-elephant.
Paul McGuinness, Chair of No 3rd Runway Coalition, said:
“Ratings agencies have long said that the massively indebted Heathrow won’t be able to raise even half the money needed for expansion, and the DfT’s own forecasts show that that if the rest is raised through passenger charges, an expanded Heathrow will be too expensive for airline customers to use. But questions must be asked about why it’s taken so long for the government to get real about this misbegotten project, which was always going to be another HS2 fiasco that the taxpayer was destined to underwrite.
“If the intended 79% increase in passenger numbers are going to get the gate, the government believes that £15bn will be required to upgrade transport to an expanded Heathrow. Yet, despite the government’s insistence that this will be a private sector project, Heathrow is not even willing to commit to making a contribution to this enormously expensive set of works. So who, other than the taxpayer, might be left to foot the bill?”
