The Commons' Transport Select Committee published its report today, The Future of Aviation, endorsing Government plans for a third runway at Heathrow, despite strong opposition from Liberal Democrat MP John Leech.
Leech's amendments, which condemned the Government's plans on airport expansion and called for more emphasis on developing high speed rail, were defeated prompting him to rebel against the report as a whole.
"The economic justifications for expansion of runway capacity in the South East have already been discredited - the report is simply out of touch with reality."
Expanded capacity at Heathrow is expected to generate in excess of 200,000 extra flights per year.
"Releasing this report on the first day of the Copenhagen Conference is simply embarrassing and makes a mockery of efforts to slash emissions."
The report will be presented to the House of Commons as the Committee's first report of the 2009/10 session and has already drawn stiff criticism from climate change activists.
