News

Sir Richard Branson, president of the group that owns Virgin Atlantic, has stressed the importance of building a third runway at Heathrow airport.

The business mogul said that international companies will look elsewhere for their headquarters if Heathrow does not have the capacity to support their corporate movements.

A consultation is currently taking place on the prospect of expansion at Heathrow and will close on 27 February.

Sir Richard said: 'With more runways being built in other European cities, such as Frankfurt, it is more important than ever that London expands its capacity. Business travellers need an airport that flows seamlessly, not one that seizes up due to lack of space on the runways.

'Businesses will move their global headquarters to elsewhere in Europe, and they will take thousands of jobs with them if a third runway fails to be built at Heathrow. Routine delays and circling overhead by all airlines, manoeuvres that simply increase pollution levels, will only be stopped with extra capacity.'

The Virgin boss said that the government's long-term environmental targets will be more easily achieved if aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which are quieter and more fuel efficient than their smaller counterparts, are given access to Heathrow.

Opodo searches thousands of flights from over 500 airlines to find the best flight deals for travellers. Find flights.