Airports Commission chairman Sir Howard Davies will face a grilling from MPs over the shortlist for increasing runway capacity in the south-east.
The commission revealed a shortlist of three options for a new runway in the south-east on Tuesday (December 17) including two expansion proposals at Heathrow and a second runway at Gatwick (artist's impression pictured).
Davies will appear before the House of Commons’ Transport Committee on January 20 to answer questions about the commission’s interim report.
The committee has already produced its own aviation strategy report which argued that expanding Heathrow was the “best way forward”.
Committee chairman Louise Ellman said: “I am pleased therefore that two options for Heathrow expansion are on the short list of long-term options produced by the Airports Commission.
“Our report noted a number of serious challenges associated with building an entirely new hub airport in the Thames estuary area, many of which have been noted by the commission.
“For example, a new Isle of Grain hub would cost approximately five times more than expanding Heathrow. Surface access in particular would be an expensive element of the proposal.”
The proposal for a Thames estuary airport, championed by London mayor Boris Johnson, has not been entirely dismissed by the commission despite not making the shortlist. The commission said it would continue to assess the plan to see if it was “credible” despite the estimated cost of £112 billion.
Ellman added: “There are also significant environmental impacts associated with building a new Isle of Grain hub, including flood risks and potential damage to protected wildlife habitats in the estuary.”
Davies is also to speak at the Runways UK aviation conference in London on January 16, alongside representatives of the three shortlisted expansion options.
He will be joined at the conference by Heathrow and Gatwick chief executives Colin Matthews and Stewart Wingate, as well as former Concorde chief pilot Jock Lowe who helped to put together the independent Heathrow Hub option which involves extending one of the airport’s existing runways.
Huw Thomas, of architectural firm Foster + Partners, will represent the Isle of Grain proposal at the conference.