The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has issued its support for the planned expansion of Heathrow Airport.
In a statement, the organisation has revealed that its submission to the public consultation over the expansion plans for the airport advocated both a new sixth terminal and an extended new third runway.
BALPA claimed that a third 2,200 metre long runway was necessary to allow the airport to compete with rival European cities such as Paris and Amsterdam.
“If the UK is going to be able to catch up with its nearby European neighbours and maintain a competitive airline industry then runway expansion in the south east is imperative particularly at the UK’s premier airport London Heathrow,” they said.
Supporting the proposals for a new terminal, the submission stated that “ducking the issue now will only cause headache later as we have seen so often in large UK infrastructure projects.”
Several high profile players within the aviation industry have come out in support of the plans for an expansion at Heathrow, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
