The Government has abandoned its commitment to making Stansted the first airport to gain a new runway and is focusing instead on almost doubling the number of flights at Heathrow. Today it will present a new plan to build a third runway at the country’s biggest airport by 2020.

Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, has given the clearest indication yet that the plan to build a second runway at Stansted will be abandoned.

She told The Times that it was much more important to expand Heathrow than Stansted because of the economic benefits of adding capacity at Britain’s only “hub airport”, which has flights to all the major countries. This reverses the Government’s policy, stated in a White Paper in December 2003, that Stansted should gain a new runway before Heathrow.

Ms Kelly said: “If Stansted doesn’t go ahead then the argument for Heathrow is even stronger than it is at the moment.” Asked which runway should take priority if only one could be built, she said: “We need extra capacity in the South East, but fundamentally we need a global hub airport.”

Ms Kelly will publish proposals today for building a new runway at Heathrow dedicated to short-haul flights by 2020. In the interim, she intends to allow up to 60,000 more flights a year on the existing two runways.

The Department for Transport (DfT) also plans to abolish the practice of giving residents under the flight paths respite from the worst noise for half of the day. At present, one runway is used for take-offs and another for landings, with their roles switching at about 3pm. Under the new arrangement, planes will land and take off from both runways for several hours each day from 2010.

Today’s consultation document will also claim that Heathrow can be expanded without breaching the European Union’s limit on air pollution and the Government’s limit on noise.

Using information supplied by BAA, which owns Heathrow, the DfT has revised its estimate of 2003 that 35,000 people would be exposed to excessive levels of nitrogen dioxide if the third runway were built. It now accepts BAA’s optimistic assumptions about the introduction of cleaner engines in aircraft and cars.

Ms Kelly refused to guarantee that there would be no increase in the number of people who were subjected to noise above 57 decibels – the level that the Government deems to be a significant annoyance. Under the DfT’s plan, up to 20,000 more people than at present will be affected.

The total number of passengers using Heathrow is expected to grow from 67 million last year to 120 million by 2020. The DfT will propose various measures to reduce the extra congestion expected around Heathrow, including building a new rail link – known as Airtrack – to the airport from Staines.

The expansion will be fiercely resisted by environmental groups, which have said they will make Heathrow the focus of their campaign against the increase in carbon dioxide from air traffic.

The Government is also likely to face a challenge in the High Court from the 2M group – 12 local authorities in West London that have two million residents.

Serge Lourie, the leader of Rich-mond council and spokesman for the 2M group, said: “The Government is claiming that this will be a public consultation but it has already made its mind up that Heathrow capacity will almost double. By prejudging the outcome, it is laying itself open for a judicial review.”

The campaign to Stop Stansted Expansion said that more than 400 people had moved from villages around the Essex airport because they feared the impact of a new runway, which was now unlikely to be built.

Carol Barbone, the campaign’s co-ordinator, said: “The Government supported a new runway Stansted to distract opponents when their real intention was to expand Heathrow. This deception has blighted the lives of thousands of people.”

BAA has repeatedly delayed applying for planning permission for the second Stansted runway and new terminal. The Spanish-owned company may submit an application in the spring, but only to raise the airport’s value in the event of a sale.

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