Chancellor John Healey said building a third runway at Heathrow Airport represents "a case for growth," backing the expansion project as Prime Minister Andy Burnham stopped short of endorsing it.
Healey made his comments at the International Monetary Fund in Bangkok, stating that airport expansion "had been a big part of jobs and growth" in recent decades. He noted the government is now "reviewing" the public consultation responses and will make "further decisions and announcements" through the Transport Department.
Burnham told the BBC last month that the third runway was "a matter for London and Londoners," suggesting residents should have a voice in the decision. When pressed in September, Burnham said he wanted to "hear the voice of people there first" before committing.
Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye has warned that rejecting the runway would be a "huge missed opportunity." He told BBC Radio 4 that benefits would extend beyond London, with the airport's supply chain reaching "all the way from the north all the way to the south of the UK." Woldbye said he hoped Burnham would "come along" with the project and that the government should clarify its position.
The airport's owners have said they need explicit backing from Burnham by year end to move forward. Heathrow currently serves more than 80 million travellers annually with two runways capped at 480,000 flights per year. A third runway would allow up to 720,000 flights annually.
The £33bn project would demolish hundreds of homes, divert rivers, and require rerouting the M25 motorway through a tunnel between junctions 14 and 15. The runway was originally scheduled to open by 2035 but has since been delayed to 2039 due to planning and regulatory issues.
The third runway has been debated for decades, facing opposition from residents, politicians and climate campaigners. Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves made the expansion a centrepiece of the government's business-friendly positioning, announcing last year that "a third runway is badly needed."