A special government committee has provided backing to build a third landing strip at the international airport in London, promising a boost in economic growth and an increase in jobs.

The move to back the expansion of Heathrow has been met with controversy as environmentalists claim it could further breach existing EU climate regulations.
The move to back the expansion of Heathrow has been met with controversy as environmentalists claim it could further breach existing EU climate regulations. (TRT World and Agencies)

Plans to build a third $22 billion runway at Heathrow have been given the green light by the British government, ending 25 years of debate and indecision.

The runway is due to bring 77,000 additional local jobs over the next 14 years. The expansion will provide economic benefits to passengers and the wider economy worth up to £61 billion.

"The government today announced its support for a new runway at Heathrow - the first full-length runway in the south-east since the Second World War," an official statement said after a cabinet meeting.

The decision was made unanimously by a government committee of senior ministers but does not have the requisite parliamentary approval to go into effect. This step would take up to a year to go into effect.

Although the new runway at Heathrow airport promises economics benefits, critics have been vocal about the strain that additional air traffic will place on the environment.
Although the new runway at Heathrow airport promises economics benefits, critics have been vocal about the strain that additional air traffic will place on the environment. (Reuters)

Business leaders have long expressed a need for a new runway, saying that London's five existing airports are failing to keep up with rising air travel demand, effectively representing a lost money-making opportunity.

However, environmentalists are criticising the expansion as the existing system already breaches EU air pollution limits, and are threatening legal action.

In what some call a rare move, Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and MP Justine Greening have been given permission from Prime Minister Theresa May to publicly voice their disagreement.

Source: TRTWorld and agencies