Heathrow’s bid for a third runway has been boosted by a study that found concerns over noise and pollution were not insurmountable.
Independent Transport Commission research said that ministers could no longer use environmental barriers as an excuse to block the airport’s expansion.
It will add to pressure on the government to act after it was decided to delay a ruling on runway expansion for at least six months to allow further evaluation of the effect that more flights would have on air quality and noise.
Heathrow’s critics, including Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate in the London mayoral election in May, say that a third runway would be illegal because areas around the airport already breach air quality limits. Heathrow also subjects more people — 767,000 — to aircraft noise than any other airport in Europe.
The commission report said that while the concerns “pose significant challenges, neither is insurmountable” because of the improvements to aircraft technology.
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Stephen Hickey, chairman of the commission’s aviation working group, said its research showed that “sustainability concerns should not stop the UK realising the great additional benefits that increased connectivity can provide”. The Airports Commission, appointed by the government, concluded last summer that Heathrow should be expanded over Gatwick because it would deliver more economic benefits. A final decision is expected in July.
Today’s report said that aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 were far quieter than older planes. Further improvements would also be made with the use of smoother descents into airports and the increased rotation of runways to offer respite to residents.
The report also said a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions was “not an impossible problem to solve” because of carbon trading and advances in airframe technology to reduce fuel use. Concerns have also been raised over levels of nitrogen oxide but the report said that cars and other road vehicles account for a third of these emissions in the UK, adding: “Road travel . . . has the opportunity to embrace green propulsion within the next decade or two.”
Most business leaders favour Heathrow. However, new polling by Gatwick found that 46 per cent of Londoners favoured its expansion compared with 34 per cent for the west London airport.
John Stewart, of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise, said: “The report is right to say individual aircraft have become less noisy but for most residents this is offset by the rise in the number of planes. I fear this is ivory tower research.”