An influential U.K. government commission on Sept. 2 excluded a vast scheme for a new four-runway hub airport in the Thames Estuary east of London from a shortlist of options to raise aviation capacity in southeast England.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, the estuary airport’s biggest cheerleader, has vowed to continue championing the plan. The commission will now focus on three remaining options that involve expansion of London’s existing Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The report is expected in the second half of next year.