Following the news from Chris Grayling that the government is recommending approval for the third runway at Heathrow, Matt Kilcoyne welcomed the decision and criticised campaigners that want Britain to pay the price for more delays and less capacity: 

"Chris Grayling is right to greenlight a new runway at Heathrow. With increased capacity from 85.5m to 130m by the end of next decade this decisions could bring in billions of pounds for the British economy.

"If other domestic airports need new flights to compete they should be allowed to expand too, especially Gatwick. Capacity is tight across the country and fortunately demand isn’t letting up with over 40m overseas visits expected this year.

"The country needs more links across the world as we leave the European Union if we're to make a success of Brexit. More connections mean new business opportunities and more lives made easier – in short it means Britain can soar.

"Campaigners rushing out to say house prices will fall under the flight path are forgetting the generous compensation that taxpayers will pay out and the fact that expansion has been in the offing for decades – the price change should be factored in by now."

If you would like an interview or further comment please contact Matt via email (matt@adamsmith.org) or mobile (07584778207).