Stansted expansion confirmed, official. Other airports expansion confirmed aswell.

Taken from the BBC website:

Stansted and Heathrow are to get new runways under the government’s 30-year plan for air travel in the UK.
Stansted’s second runway is due to be ready by 2011, with Heathrow to get a third by 2020 if it meets environmental targets such as a car charging scheme.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said expansion had to cope with the number of passengers travelling through UK airports tripling over 30 years.

The announcement has angered residents’ groups and environmental campaigners.

Among other proposals are a new runway in Birmingham and a possible one in Edinburgh too.

Mr Darling told MPs the plan recognised the benefits of air travel but “seeks to reduce and minimise the impact of airports to those living nearby to the environment”.

He had no doubt the plans – which if backed by MPs would still require airport owners to get planning permission – would face legal challenges but argued the government could not duck “difficult decisions”.

The big airlines had warned failure to consider a new runway at Heathrow would make the aviation industry go the same way as shipbuilding and coal mining.

A possible sixth terminal at Heathrow is also being considered but Mr Darling also unveiled a series of environmental conditions which would need to be met.

As well as keeping within EU limits on pollution, there would have to be no increase in the area affected by aircraft noise around the west London airport.

South-East general plans:
New runway at Stansted “as soon as possible”

New runway and possible sixth terminal at Heathrow between 2015 and 2020

Environmental conditions imposed on Heathrow’s expansion

No new runway at Gatwick until after 2019 – and then only if Heathrow conditions not met

Proposed new airport at Cliffe, Kent abandoned

Luton Airport to develop to make maximum use of its existing runway

Other airports involved in England:
Campaigners in Cliffe, Kent, have been celebrating that the idea of a new airport in their area has been discarded.

Birmingham’s new runway will be “subject to stringent measures to limit noise and improve access”, says the plan.

Proposals for a new airport at Rugby and Coventry have been rejected.

But East Midlands Airport will expand, although without a new runway.

And land will be kept ready in Edinburgh for a possible runway by 2020, alongside a “substantial terminal development”.

There could also be possible runway extensions too at Aberdeen and Inverness.

Manchester Airport will get “additional capacity” and Bristol will get both a runway extension and an extra terminal.

Other airports Involved in Scotland, Ireland and Wales:
Possible new runway at Edinburgh by 2020

Possible runway extensions at Aberdeen and Inverness
C
apacity to increase at Cardiff but no new south-east Wales airport

Belfast Airport to grow within existing boundaries to serve forecast demand