BUILDING A THIRD RUNWAY at Heathrow would add £30 billion to the UK economy, according to a new study by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
The research reveals that each year the building of a third runway is delayed, the country loses between £900 million and £1.1bn.
The study highlights the extent to which Heathrow's shortage of capacity is leading it to lose out to Continental competitors, such as Schiphol and Frankfurt. Over the last 20 years, Heathrow has slipped from being Europe's leading airport, in terms of destinations served, to fifth place. Meanwhile, the number of UK regional cities it serves has fallen from 21 to six.