The boss of Heathrow has criticised the uncertainty over the airport's planned expansion after Prime Minister Andy Burnham declined to back the scheme.
Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said he hopes the Prime Minister will throw his weight behind the project, adding "it would be good to know where Government is on this".
Investment warning
Mr Woldbye warned that investment could be lost overseas without a firm commitment to the construction of a new runway. He said the planned investment in the £33 billion scheme could go elsewhere unless there is certainty.
"Our private investors, if they cannot invest in Heathrow which they own, they don't own any other airports in the UK, and there is no project like a Heathrow expansion, then that money will be invested somewhere else in the world, maybe in a motorway in Spain or a hospital in Italy," he said.
Government position
Before Mr Burnham entered No 10, predecessor Sir Keir Starmer and then-chancellor Rachel Reeves had backed the construction of a third runway at the UK's busiest airport. However, Mr Burnham has refused to confirm his support, saying it is subject to a consultation and then the planning process.
Mr Woldbye told BBC Radio 4's Today: "The most important thing here is what this project delivers for the UK, and I think seeing that, I hope the Prime Minister will come along."
Economic boost
He said the project will provide a "huge economic boost" and offer opportunities such as apprenticeships, which correspond with "the priorities that this Government has set out".
Mr Woldbye said the process is "ongoing", adding: "When we get to the end of those processes, which will be sometimes towards the end of the year, it would be good to know where Government is on this."
Heathrow expects to submit a formal planning application "in the next couple of years", he said. "Right now the discussion with by far most of the people I speak to is not so much about if we're going to do this, but more how we're going to do it and get all the factors right. I hope we can stay on that path because I think it is really, really important for the UK to get this project built."
