The owner of London Heathrow Airport has suggested that it would ask the government to appoint an independent assessor to check noise and air quality if it received permission for a third runway.
A spokesman for BAA, which is also the owner and operator of six other British airports, said that the group would only increase the number of flights at Heathrow if it can adhere to limits set by the independent body.
If approved, the third runway will be 2,200 metres long and in operation by 2020. Colin Matthews, BAA chief executive, believes that this concession shows that the group has “listened to the arguments around expansion”.
He said: “Although the economic case remains compelling, we understand that we can only increase the number of flights if we can safeguard levels of noise and air quality.”
In 1999, BAA promised that if Terminal 5 was approved, it would not ask for a third runway.
