its unfair for the people who live in sipson. there is no need to build a third runway.

darren, norwich, uk

It is not fair on the people of sipson they have to leave there homes for a stupid runway all the animals their will loose there home.
Do u really want to kill wildlife in the area? Their is people in the world who wants to save the planet you know. Why dont you spend it on the something for kids.

alice dunnett, hingham, england

Birdstrike
An airport in the Thames Estuary would be unsafe.
Even with an aggressive bird hazard management programme (i.e. shooting or scaring the birds away), the bird strike hazard would be up to 12 times higher than at any other major UK airport.

gill, rochester,

BAA made their enviromental case on the basis of projected emissions from new designs of aircraft. These aircraft do NOT exist and there is no plans to construct them. If you doubt this I suggest you refer to McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.

jerry, Exeter,

I am not surprized by this appalling decision by Gordon Brown. Its very simple, you cannot bring in a Climate Change Bill to slash CO2 emissions THEN approve a potentially big expansion in air travel with the big increase in CO2 it will bring. New Labour has just lost the next General Election.

Andy McCubbin, Leicester, UK

History demonstrates that towns and cities are simply bypassed and sidelined when they fail to develop transport infrastructure in line with demand. There is a demand for better transport links for London. Those who are calling for it will simply go elsewhere if London fails to deliver.

Owen, Surrey, UK

Peak oil, or rather the anticipated 6% a year fall in global oil output due very soon (that's 60% in a decade) will see the end of affordable aviation. Within 10 years the Government will have to appoint a Dr Beeching to close runways and airports . It's madness building new runways now!

David Ede, Edinburgh, Scotland

Increasing Heathrow's capacity will further London's grip as one of Europe's great cities by increasing jobs and business that it will ultimately facilitate. The developed world has put in place Carbon reduction policy, but population growth and therefore infrastructure required won't stop growing.

Ed, Sydney, Australia

Seems to me that joining the dots is an exercise politicians are not very well rehearsed in. Let's see, Thames Gateway, London 2012, business, employment, facilities, transport links. Stop talking AT the people and start talking TO them. You might learn something. Result now = opportunity, missed.

Lia, Horley, UK

If we expanded airport capacity, why does it have to be Heathrow? What about Gatwick? London is the only major city in the world with an airport whose main landing and take off approach is directly overhead. It is a relic of the 1940s and let's hope Brown will soon be a relic of the Noughties.

Luke Alkin, [West] London,

Heathrow is not full. Using larger planes, passenger numbers could triple without a new runway. We must use scarce resources more efficiently. Until all flights use A380 superjumbos, no runway should be built. On congested roads, we use buses instead of cars. Same principle should apply to airports.

John, Manchester, UK

Why is Brown spending tax payers' money on this scheme? BAA is a private company. If they want a third runway then they should seek private investors. Rest assured Londoners - Brown will be kicked out pretty soon and the scheme will be scrapped

R.F.York, York, UK

I celebrate this decision! The South East, is multi-cultural and ethnically diverse, much to our benefit. Would you ration this link to the rest of the world?
There are few types of journeys where high-speed rail and air travel can be traded - yes, OK, to Paris, but it won't help much to New York.

Alvery Grazebrook, Bristol, UK

Building a new airport in the Thames Gateway where fewer people live would make so much sense. There's the new high speed rail link nearby that would connect it to the city and central london and would actually attract more investment to that area, but no, this idea is to sensible to comprehend.

Rob, London, UK

BAA is a private company - if they want another runway they should pay for it. Use taxpayers money on schools instead.

Rob, letchworth,

This man gets every decision wrong. Here was an ideal opportunity to do something outstanding. Boris's idea for a new airport was outstanding and should be the only option, but Brown et al lack the imagination and intelligence.

Steven Katirai, Morpeth,

Here's a golden opportunity for Boris to stand up to this dictatorial government and get the airport London really needs resited to the Thames Estuary where there's plenty of flat, open spaces and very little housing. It's scandalous that 2000 people will lose their homes if this is allowed through!

Ian Dickson, Brighton, UK

Fossil fuels are running out fast. Maybe rather than building new runways we should be thinking/investing in how to cope with no petrol/gas.

matt, dartford, kent

Delighted!. Let us hope that it means some provincial airports will close, restoring peace and quiet to those of us who live in more civilized areas of the country.

Michael, London, UK

The "business reasons" for this runway do make me laugh. To attract investment? Really? None of the inward investors I deal with have ever said "And how many runways does that airport that's outside London, you know the one you call "London Heathrow", have? Two? Oh, we'll invest in France then."

Laura Roberts, London, UK

Isn't it ironic that campaigners in Frankfurt are being told that 'we have to expand because otherwise we'll lose out to Heathrow'...

We could've created hundreds of thousands of new green jobs by investing in high speed rail & building a clean energy economy.

What a waste.

Casper, Coventry, UK

Ironic Gordon Brown has become a victim of spin!Labour has definately lost the next election.The arguement that this will create thousands of jobs is rubbish-Airlines are doing their utmost to reduce their overheads (cutting jobs) Airport expansion is unsustainable!

Philip, Braintree,

the Heathrow announcement signals one of 2 choices for the next election.
Either Labour wins and London will become a noisy polluted re industrialised environment the like of which we havent seen since the 1950s... or Gordon and the labour party will be toast and the conservatives will cancel this.

David Nicholson, London, England

I'm afraid Britain was pretty backward already, BJ.

Why does it need a 3rd runway? Airlines seem to have been cancelleing flights and routes left, right and centre. Or is that just flights from Manchester.

Ross, Lancaster, UK

This may increase capacity but it will not make Heathrow better. The problem is with BAA and its staff and their focus on profit rather than customer satisfaction. By 2030 all we'll have is more people complaining about Heathrow and a few thousand extra low paid jobs for people with low skills.

Rich, London,

In respect to Heathrow every Government has broken any pledges that limit expansion. Mr Hoon's pledges cannot be trusted.

Andy H, Twickenham,

The real problem is that the UK is getting very overcrowded and will get worse with the flooding in of immigrants from countries that continue to remain very backward. "If we cannot improve ourselves in your own country, let us go somewhere that already has the improvements" are the cries.

B J Deller, Marbella, Spain

Government caves in to big business and ignores our common future for short term political expediency. Shocking!

John, London,

Building high-speed rail lines will not solve the issue. The bulk of passengers at Heathrow are transatlantic or to destinations where rail-links do not offer a viable alternative. Let's face reality.

Carl Thomas, London, England

Political decisions are not easy, if they were we would all clamber onto the very sweet gravy train, this one however will not only cost Mr B his seat and his job, but also, I fear his historical reputaiopn, ,,,quite a move heh ?.

wpo, warsaw, ny

So we all have to use energy efficient light bulbs to reduce our CO2 emissions but we are encouraging the well-off, who holiday many times ayear, celebs with many homes over the world, that includes politicians, to use the most polluting highest emitting CO2 form of travel, are they mad!

Susy, Kent,

To Paul Lee... Despite living in London, you seem hazy on the location of Heathrow? It's nearer to Slough than central London. And located on the fringe of dense urban areas as with most other International Airports.

John, Banbury,

Whilst I do not entirely like the idea, it is a necessary evil to keep large businesses operating from and through London. It's a pity that his government seems to see it best to invest in poorly implemented technology from other countries (Nuclear power from EDF for example) rather than UK talent.

James, Reading,

All those people who'll be living under the new third runway(like me) our homes have already dropped 16%...well there goes another 10%.
Thanks Gordy!!!!

Mike, London, England

Our economy needs this for sure - it has limited capacity for a major hub. Who are we to believe about CO2 anyway - last week they said googling was more damaging than air travel to the climate. would be interesting to know how many not in favour will be use the airport after their battle is lost.

Ray, Glasgow, Scotland

About time, but 2019-2020?!?!

Come on, it should be a 3-5 year project at most. Dubai has built a whole new airport in less time than even that. Such a long time frame gives the developers time to regularly re-assess the costs and ramp them up so that the taxpayer gets swindled AGAIN!

Francis, Stafford,

They could have spent that on improving the railways. High speed lines anyone? France, Germany, Japan, USA have all got them.

John Barber, Leeds, UK

Building a new Thames Estuary airport would create even more jobe now and the Heathrow technopark more jobe later. It just goes to show how short-term is Brown's thinking. However the decision is eminently reversible after the next general election.

Meyer Culper, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey

A third runway should not be built. Access road congestion will be worse than now
We have to find another way to satisfy all parties
30 years ago we closed half the rail network - to cut cost. Now we want to build new rail links. There was an alternative then and one must be found now for Heathrow

Pat, BOURNEMOUTH, United Kingdom

Gordon Brown will go down in history as the Prime Minister who inflicted ill health on hundreds of thousands of individuals living near Heathrow, if not their premature deaths. Ironic given his government's stance on smoking.

Mark, Torquay, UK

We've seen massive increases in the price of road tax, huge increases in the taxation of company cars and fines for households that overfill their rubbish bins, all of which are underpinned by the governments supposed environmental concerns.Here's the proof that it's an enormous pan-european con.

julian, wimslow,

I bet none of those in favour live right under the flight paths.

John, Péault, France

High speed rail lines! Ha, Ha. It cost £10billion and took 10 years just to UPGRADE the West Coast line!
How much to build a new one, Gordon?

Bob, Wokingham,

We can't live in the stone age, and airlines contribute a minimal amount to global warming. How many of you eco warriors eat meat - a much larger cause of global warming? Can we ban that?

Tony, Islington, London, UK

Fear not England,for 600 'more' flights to happen is a 'politicians' dream...For LHR to handle 600 more flights (300 take off -300 landing ) would be a like winning the lottery six days in a row...That would be 25 takeoffs or landing every hour....24 hours a day ,7days a week..naaahhh....sweet dream

Mr Tim, san marcos, U S of A

Why not a build new airport somewhere else not too far from London? Heathrow is an utter hellhole, awkward to get to by rail or car, overcrowded and full of nasty little jobsworths.

Why not spread the load and build another airport East of town?

Dave W, London, UK

Yes! Lets create the most hellish airport of all time and rename it Gordon Brown International Airport

michael, london, uk

When the economy boomed oil reached $150 a barrel, making ALL airlines unprofitable, quiet how a doubling of heathrow traffic (and assuming that world traffic!) can oil prices remain at a level that will make all these flights profitable and therefore possible........?

Adrian, Aldershot, ENGLAND

So much for saving the planet then! This proves that global warming was a big lie that was convenient to local councils who were earning £200 a tonne to send waste paper to China. I am glad that I never fell for it.

Matt, Norwich,

Bring on the third runway & new terminal. If London wants to continue to have the busiest airport in the world then why not, look at the size of Charles De Gaulle in France!? It will bring more jobs from the construction to the running of it.

Al, Richmond,

In a time when jobs are disappearing everywhere this is very welcome news. It's a shame that the project will take so long to get started due to campaigners. If it had not gone ahead we would end up in the same mess as we have with Nuclear power and be complaining even more about transport here.

Stuart, Oxford,

why are we building new rail lines when rail is an obsolete technology? build maglev and you could get from london to glasgow in an hour at a cost of 1/10th of a normal rail journey. more importantly we might have a new british industry. although why doesnt the private sector want to own this line?

will, grimsby, uk

This is great news. By not building a runway all we are doing is giving Frankfurt and Paris an edge. No tourist ever thinks im not going to fly today because heathrow does not have a 3rd runway, by trying to block it you dont reduce emissions. All that happens is other airports take the business.

Harry, Hayes,

The kerosene to fuel the large increase in aircraft journeys projected will not be available at an affordable price.
According to the IEA getting enough fuel is dependent on huge increases in development expenditure, which is not happening now.
So many billions will be spent on a useless asset.

David Martin, Bristol, UK

Welcome to travel hell, the T5 debacle will have nothing on this one. Come on Gordon show some vision, even Boris came up with a better idea. Scrap Heathrow and build an entirely new airport in the Thames estuary. That would give a much bigger fillip to the UK economy than this proposed bodge-up.

patrick, ipswich, uk

London's only city that allows aircraft to fly over it. Heathrow expansion increases the risk that one crashes in the centre of our capital. It is not a risk that should be taken. Brown does not want a Thames estuary airport with crossrail to Canary Wharf and City is because it's Thatcher's idea.

Paul Lee, London, UK

No one will be fooled by promises of high speed rail lines. They always cost far more than planned and with things as they will be on the borrowings front, the lines will not be affordable.

Colin, Shrewsbury,