Heathrow's boss insists third runway would pass EU air quality laws

Heathrow's boss today went on the offensive over whether a third runway at Heathrow could be built without breaching EU limits on air pollution.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye insisted the airport currently meets all EU air quality rules and would still do so if it were allowed to expand.

“You may hear people say that air quality is a problem. Not so,” he was to say in his first speech since the Government delayed a decision on airport expansion until at least the summer.

“Heathrow today meets all EU air quality rules and with expansion we will still meet them — in fact we won’t release new capacity until we can demonstrate that is the case.”

However, NO2 levels do breach EU limits around the airport, close to major roads. Environmental lawyers are threatening to take the Government to court again over its masterplan to tackle this deadly air pollutant.

Heathrow bosses have also refused to accept two of the mitigation measures proposed by the Airports Commission for a third runway — a ban on night flights and no fourth runway.

Mr Holland-Kaye was expected to say the Government had to come to a view on these issues before discussions could take place on them with the airport.