Heathrow is edging closer to securing government approval for a third runway after the airport indicated that a last-minute Whitehall study into air quality will give the all-clear, The Guardian reports. 

The airport’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, said he had “no reason to believe” that any issues had been raised in research conducted this year by the Department for Transport into air quality around Heathrow, despite consistent breaches of legal limits. He said: “Everything we have seen suggests that it won’t be an issue. I suspect if it were we would know about that by now.”

The comments came as it emerged that a cabinet subcommittee on Heathrow will not make a final decision on Tuesday, as previously thought, but is now likely to rule on 25 October.

Holland-Kaye told the Guardian that the recent independent study by Cambridge researchers into air quality had bolstered Heathrow’s case, and said the airport was putting in place further mitigation measures whose effects had yet to be felt.

The Heathrow boss also claimed that approving a third runway was no longer the difficult political choice for the prime minister, Theresa May. “What was once seen as a difficult political decision is becoming a much easier one.”

“The government is very clear on the importance of making a decision, the need that there is to address the problems around airport capacity and the huge potential economic opportunities of airport expansion,” said the spokeswoman.