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London’s airports are going to get a hell of a lot bigger in the future. Even though Heathrow is already the fourth busiest airport in the world, it wants to expand even further, with a £2.3 billion upgrade on the horizon. Meanwhile, Gatwick has had its sights set on getting a second runway for a couple of years now, and Luton wants to massively expand its offering.
Now, Bloomberg has reported that these airports are likely to get the government support they need to go ahead with their ambitious plans. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce additional support for Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton airports in a speech later this month, with the government reportedly getting ready to give the green light to Gatwick’s £2.2 billion plans for a second runway.
All of this comes as Labour looks to drive economic growth in the UK, but some speculate that this move could be at odds with the government’s target to be net zero by 2050.
‘We are determined to get our economy moving and secure the long-term future of the UK’s aviation sector,’ the government said in a statement. ‘All expansion proposals must demonstrate they contribute to economic growth’ while staying in line with environmental obligations.
Politicians including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband are against plans to build bigger airports in London due to their environmental impacts. But previous governments estimated that expansions could create tens of thousands of jobs and pump billions back into the UK’s economy.
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