Department for Transport analysis suggests 0.05% boost will be offset by overall negative trade-off

The economic boost from a Heathrow third runway could be a tiny fraction of previous estimates, government analysis shows, while the overall trade-off from the bigger airport could set the UK back by as much as £62.5bn.

As ministers promised to speed up expansion of the London airport in the name of economic growth, documents prepared by the Department for Transport said the runway was expected to boost GDP by only up to 0.05% – 90% less than the 0.5% previously stated.

Analysis says expansion could also harm access to housing, education, healthcare, open spaces and transport

Construction of a third runway at Heathrow is likely to have significant adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of up to 3 million people living nearby, an official report has said, as the government launched the next stage of its rapid airport expansion plan.

An analysis for the Department for Transport has found that expanding London’s hub airport could have “major adverse” impacts on the health of the most local population.