The expansion of Heathrow airport should go ahead in spite of any short-term fears about recession, Geoff Hoon, the transport secretary, insisted yesterday.

During a Commons debate on the issue, he said the airport was at full capacity and would fall behind European rivals if a third runway were not allowed.

'We remain confident about the robustness of our forecasts,' he said.

Hoon denied that the decision to give the scheme the go-ahead had already been made and insisted it would take place only if ministers were convinced that strict criteria on air quality and noise levels were met.

But the Tories decribed the Department for Transport consultation as 'a complete sham'.

Theresa Villiers, the shadow transport secretary, said that officials’ modelling – which used 'green' aircraft not yet invented – had been “reverse engineered” to suit the government’s agenda.

'The plane doesn’t actually exist: it is a virtual aircraft...a fantasy plane,' she said.

Financial Times