 The ability of the existing airport infrastructure to meet forecast demand is limited , and government policy published in 2003 supports the development of additional airport capacity by 2030 to address this . The strategy is generally based on making the best use of existing facilities , although an additional five new runways nationwide are considered to be necessary , three of them at the London airports of Stansted , Heathrow and , towards the end of the timeframe involved , Gatwick . This policy is designed to be a balanced and measured approach to the future of the air transport industry ; one that recognises both an economic advantage in providing for growth in demand for air travel and also the need to address the consequent environmental impacts . The strategy has been criticised by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee , by environmentalist and campaign groups , and in research papers , for implementing a predict and provide model that overstates the economic advantages whilst paying insufficient heed to the environmental consequences . 
