Ministers are pressing ahead with plans for a highly controversial third runway at Heathrow and intend to approve the expansion before Christmas, The Times has learnt. Although the Government is still sifting through tens of thousands of public submissions on the airport’s proposed expansion, it is understood that senior figures have already decided to sanction it.

Transport sources told The Times that the Government was determined to make the third runway happen, despite widespread opposition from the environmental lobby and the possibility of an independent review delaying the project.

The Department of Transport is still sifting through 70,000 responses from individuals, pressure groups and other interested parties in response to its consultation on the project, which was released last year.

When ministers have finished reviewing the responses, each needs to be independently reviewed and verified before a decision is made.

Times Archive, 1946: Heathrow now in use

A big crowd were at the new London airport today to see the first civil aeroplane take off from the 3,000-yard main runway

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However The Times understands that Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, strongly supports the proposal and is likely to make the announcement in its favour as early as November.

The news comes despite growing efforts by environmental groups and West London residents to thwart the project. The European Union has also expressed concern that a third runway could breach pollution targets.

The Government’s uncompromising stance on the expansion, which business groups say is essential for London to maintain its global status, will come as a blow to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

He announced last weekend that he has commissioned a feasibility study into the possible development of a 24-hour airport in the Thames Estuary.

Mr Johnson’s aides believe that the scheme, involving a phased closure of Heathrow, would solve London’s congestion woes and create jobs east of the capital.

David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, has expressed interest in the idea and has previously accused the Government of faking the case for Heathrow’s third runway.

However, people close to Ms Kelly described Mr Johnson’s project yesterday as “fantasy island” and said that it would do much more harm environmentally than was widely believed.

Business leaders told The Times that the Government was backing the expansion of Heathrow as a core aspect of its strategic planning.

Its 2003 White Paper supported a significant expansion of airport capacity. Heathrow, which serves 67 million passengers a year, is crippled by congestion, delays, traffic and security issues.

Environmental groups argue that providing a third runway would be irresponsible as it would encourage more air travel and increase pollution. Residents’ associations say that the extra noise would be unbearable and that the expansion would lead to the destruction of nearby homes.

However, businesses say that a third runway would provide a £1 billion boost to the economy and is necessary to maintain Heathrow as Europe’s main airport.

Without the expansion, they claim, London will lose a considerable chunk of its passengers to rival airports in Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam. Extra space would also allow the airport’s owner, BAA, to schedule flights to additional cities in developing countries.

Paul Marston, a spokesman for British Airways, said that the need for more runway space was urgent and that the Government needed to approve the expansion quickly.

However, any project could be delayed by a push for an independent review of airport expansion.

Last month the Competition Commission, which is forcing BAA to sell two of its three London airports, caused alarm when it said that it was “minded” to ask for a review of government policy on airport expansion.

Its announcement added to fears that the plan for a new runway at Heathrow could be delayed, with the Government’s own environmental watchdog calling in May for an investigation into similar issues.

In January BAA signalled that a fourth runway and a seventh terminal could be needed in the longer term at Heathrow.

Airport expansion

- In 2006 the £105 million Pier 6, designed to accommodate the Airbus A380, was finished at Terminal 3

- In April 2007 a 285ft air traffic control tower was made operational, at a cost of £50million

- Heathrow was designed for 50 million passengers a year, but numbers now approach 70 million

- The £4.3 billion Terminal 5 was opened in March to allow annual passenger numbers to reach 90 million. In the first fortnight 28,000 bags became separated from their owners

- Runway use averages 98 per cent, making it difficult for airlines to obtain extra landing slots or for new airlines to use the airport

- Heathrow’s lack of runway capacity could end in its being overtaken by Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris by 2010

- Consultation on the third runway began in November 2007 amid widespread opposition. In the meantime BAA has proposed using the two existing runways in “mixed mode”, allowing aircraft to take off and land on the same runway. This would increase capacity from 480,000 movements to 550,000 a year

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