Roundup: London airport expansion delayed until end of year as Brexit fall-out continues

Britain's Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced Thursday a decision on a proposed London airport expansion has been put on hold until October at the earliest.

Both Heathrow and Gatwick are frontrunners in the race for a massive expansion to provide extra airport capacity for Britain's capital.

He said the decision should wait until after the election of a successor to Prime Minister David Cameron. The winner of the Conservative Party leadership battle will immediately become the new occupant at 10 Downing Street.

Cameron resigned hours after the result of last week's referendum on EU membership.

Last year the Airport Commission recommended that Heathrow should be expanded with a third runway. The new 3,500-meter runway north of the two existing runways at Heathrow would cost around 25 billion U.S. dollars.

A final decision by the government had been expected later last year, but the government announced a delay last December

Following McLoughlin's announcement Heathrow's chief John Holland-Kaye said airport expansion "must be a key building block in the government's Brexit plan".

He said: "It will allow British exporters to trade with all the growing markets of the world, strengthening Britain's position as one of the great trading nations."

Stewart Wingate, CEO at London's Gatwick Airport, commented that the enormous pollution of noise and air quality that Heathrow inflicts on hundreds of thousands of people is an issue that politicians are going to have to grapple with.

"If you look at Gatwick, we have a tiny fraction of the environmental impact of Heathrow, yet you get all of the same economic benefits, all of the same connections to short haul and long haul destinations, all at a cheaper price," he said, adding that bosses at Gatwick will press its case to be chosen for the expansion with Cameron's successor.

When the noon deadline was reach for names to be put forward for the Conservative leadership, the person who will become Britain's next prime minister, there were five contenders.

Home Secretary Theresa May and Justice Secretary Michael Gove emerged as front-runners, with Stephen Crabb, Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox all fighting for the keys to 10 Downing Street.

Bosses at Heathrow will have breathed a sigh of relief at the decision by former London Mayor Boris Johnson not to stand in the leadership race. He had been a fierce opponent of a third runway at Heathrow, once famously saying he would "lie in front of the bulldozers to stop it".

Supporters of Johnson said he had had a change of heart and decided not to be a candidate. His decision was greeted with shock and dismay by his supporters. Endit