The UK Government made the right decision, the third runway allows Heathrow to grow, and, more importantly, it will be an enormous economic catalyst by better connecting the London and U.K. economies to global business, said Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani following the announcement of the UK Government decision to add a third runway at London Heathrow.

 "Growth must be environmentally responsible. The environmental restrictions on the third runway are challenging," said Bisignani. "IATA's four-pillar strategy on climate change - focused on improved technology, effective operations, efficient infrastructure and positive economic measures - is delivering real results. Since 2004 we saved over 59 million tonnes of CO2. Moreover, as a result of the efficiencies that our industry continues to put in place, we have limited our CO2 emissions to 2% of the global total. Our track record is impressive. And no industry is as ambitious about its future. I am confident that the environmental impact of the third runway can be managed effectively," said Bisignani.