UK study backs contentious Heathrow expansion

[LONDON] London's Heathrow airport could require a new runway to maintain Britain's status as a global travel crossroads, according to the body appointed to help ease a capacity squeeze at the country's existing facilities.

Heathrow, which currently has a pair of runways and is home to British Airways, could even require an extended strip acting as two runways, the Airports Commission said in a report that may reignite political clashes over Europe's busiest hub. Other options include expansion of Gatwick, south of the capital.

"The capacity challenge is not yet critical but it will become so if no action is taken soon, and our analysis clearly supports the provision of one net additional runway by 2030," Commission chairman Howard Davies said.