Building an extra runway at Gatwick airport would bring similar benefits to expanding Heathrow Getty ImagesThe economic benefits of expanding Heathrow airport were overstated by up to £86 billion, buried government figures reveal. Building an extra runway at Gatwick airport would bring virtually the same benefits to the nation as expanding Heathrow, the figures suggest. Questions were raised over Theresa May’s endorsement of Heathrow after a Department for Transport report more than halved previous estimates for the size of the economic boost to be provided by Heathrow over 60 years. The government analysis indicated that expanding Gatwick would yield £54 billion in economic benefits — marginally less than the £61 billion attributed to Heathrow — while being…

Source: The Times October 26, 2016 23:02 UTC