The Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, has provided the clearest indication so far of the government's intention to approve the construction of a third runway at London Heathrow Airport. Her comments were made at the Labour Conference, which is currently being held in Bournemouth. In them, she stressed how Heathrow's expansion was "vital", both for ensuring Britain's continued competitiveness on the international stage, and in providing new employment opportunities.

Ms Kelly's comments coincided with the pledge made by Jim Fitzpatrick, the Aviation Minister, to investigate instances where Heathrow's policy on night-time operations has been breached.

A consultation in respect of Heathrow's third runway is set to take place before the end of 2007.

Critics of Ms Kelly stated her comments highlighted a decision already made by ministers to augment Heathrow's airliner capacity. One of these, the MP for Putney - Conservative Member Justine Greening - said: "It shows that the consultation is a sham and they have already decided what the outcome will be. They have no interest in a balanced debate about this as they have already made their minds up and I think it is a real disgrace they are doing so when there are mounting concerns not just about noise but about local air pollution."

A recent investigation carried out by the BBC showed the number of Heathrow flights being made at night was over and above the government's stipulation for the period October 2006 to April 2007. As described in the report, an extra 440 flights occurred during these six months.

According to Heathrow's owner - airport operating group BAA - the majority of these could be attributed to instances where aircraft were delayed due to inclement weather or other factors.

As per Mr Fitzpatrick: "What I can guarantee is we will be looking at these figures and making sure the industry can demonstrate to our satisfaction they are being adhered to."

The Hacan group's John Stewart described the claimed extra flights as "...another own goal for BAA".

He added: "It appears to have been trying to squeeze in more night flights hoping that nobody would notice. Once again they have proved themselves to be the master of the dark arts."

Source - Airport International's Regional Correspondent

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