TV first for Heathrow

HEATHROW has launched what it says is its first ever TV advert, as speculation grows over a third runway announcement.

The ‘First Flight’ advert, which has been on our screens for a week now, celebrates the airport’s 70th anniversary and looks forward to the next 70 years.

Set to the little known David Bowie track When I Live My Dream, it features a wide-eyed young girl with an aviator’s cap travelling through the airport with her owl suitcase before taking to the skies for the first time.

The advert comes amid reports the long-awaited decision over airport expansion could be imminent.

Former transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin had announced after the EU referendum result that an announcement on airport expansion was not likely before October.

But The Construction Index reported that his successor Chris Grayling could announce the goahead for a third runway at Heathrow sooner.

The construction industry news website said doing so would show Britain is ‘open for business’ and alleviate uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

However, the Department for Transport (DfT) moved to dampen speculation over an imminent announcement.

A DfT spokesperson said: “It is vitally important we get the decision right. The secretary of state and his ministerial team will want to consider all of the evidence before the government takes a decision.”

New prime minister Theresa May’s previous opposition to a third runway at Heathrow, along with that of some cabinet members has prompted suggestions the case for expansion, may have swung the way of Gatwick.

In February this year, a Heathrow poster making the case for a third runway was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for making a misleading claim about the so-called benefits of expansion.