Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the level of growth expected during this parliament as a result of the expansion of Heathrow Airport to three runways.

Expanding Heathrow would have significant growth benefits. These include:

• Billions invested into the economy, with the potential to create over 100,000 jobs, according to the current Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS)
• Strengthening Heathrow’s status both as a global passenger hub and as the UK’s largest air freight hub by volume
• Major benefits for passengers, including lower fares and reduced delays and opportunities for a greater choice of airlines and destinations

A recent report from Frontier Economics suggested a third runway could increase potential GDP by 0.43% in 2050, with 60% of the economic boost from Heathrow expansion going to areas outside London and South-East.

The government expects to see progress being made on Heathrow expansion during this parliament and will introduce a Planning and Infrastructure Bill to speed up and streamline the planning process and accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects.