UK government approves expansion of Heathrow airport: BBC reporter

[LONDON] A committee of senior British government ministers chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday backed expanding Heathrow Airport, a BBC reporter said.

Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, is battling with its smaller rival Gatwick for the right to expand, after successive governments failed to make a decision on a new runway due to environmental and political protests.

The government is due to make an announcement to parliament at 1130 GMT about which option it has decided to back.

"Source tells me Heathrow did get the nod in committee this morning," BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said on Twitter.

Kuenssberg did not specify which of the two Heathrow options the government had backed - building a new runway or expanding one of its existing ones.

REUTERS