Heathrow's third runway could be approved by Christmas

Plans for a controversial third runway at Heathrow could be approved by Christmas, the Times has revealed.

Although the Department for Transport is still sifting through 70,000 public submissions on the proposed expansion, the newspaper has learned that the government is determined to make the third runway happen.

Each of the responses will need to be independently reviewed and verified, but the Times reports that the transport secretary, Ruth Kelly, is strongly behind the proposal, and could make an announcement in its favour as early as November.

West London residents protest that the noise will be unbearable, and efforts have been made by environmental groups to thwart the project. The EU has also expressed concern that a third runway could breach pollution targets.

The news will come as a blow to the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who announced just last weekend that he had commissioned a feasibility study into the development of a new airport on an island in the Thames Estuary.

According to the mayor's aides, the scheme, which would also include a phased closure of Heathrow, would ease congestion in London and create jobs east of the capital.

Tory leader David Cameron has said he is interested in the idea and has accused the government previously of faking the case for a third runway at Heathrow.

People close to Kelly have described the mayor's idea as a “fantasy island”, however, with the potential to cause more environmental harm than its proponents believe.

Residents' associations say that the expansion of Heathrow could lead to the destruction of nearby homes, but businesses believe a third runway could provide a £1bn boost to the economy and is vital to enable Heathrow to remain Europe's main airport.

They claim that if the expansion does not go ahead London will lose a considerable chunk of its passengers to rival airports in Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam.

Paul Marston, spokesman for British Airways, told the Times that the need for more runway space is urgent and that the government needs to approve the expansion quickly.

However, the project could face delays if an independent review of UK airport expansion goes ahead.

The Competition Commission, which wants BAA to sell two of its three London airports, caused worry when it said it could be “minded” to ask for a review of government policy on airport expansion, adding to fears that the plan for a new runway could be delayed.

BAA signalled in January that a fourth runway and a seventh terminal could be needed in the longer term at Heathrow.