Hannah Vickers, chief executive of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), which represents the company’s large and small who design, deliver and manage our national infrastructure, welcomed today’s decision on Heathrow. She said:

“The carbon challenges for the aviation sector are well understood, but expansion at Heathrow is not necessarily incompatible with a carbon-free future. These kinds of decision need to be made as part of a comprehensive Net Zero strategy for the country, not taken in isolation.

“Today’s court ruling does mean that the major project is one step closer however, and the £14 billion plan is proof that private investment can play a key role in our economic recovery.”

“The core take-away is that we should update our National Policy Statements to ensure they are compatible with Net Zero ambitions. This would ensure the right future infrastructure projects can proceed with confidence while avoiding unnecessary uncertainty and legal delays.”