The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has given qualified support to the UK government’s decision to allow a third runway at Heathrow airport. “The stringent environmental conditions attached to the go-ahead, the possibility that a future administration could reverse the decision and the likelihood of a lengthy planning process means that this is far from a ‘done-deal’, ” said BIFA Director General, Peter Quantrill. “Investment in an essential part of the UK’s infrastructure is required as a matter of urgency to relieve the congested conditions that are currently endured by all. The lack of runway capacity at Heathrow has been a major contributory factor to the increased congestion and delays faced by our members who move airfreight through Heathrow. “An additional runway would offer much needed capacity and also the resilience to maintain integrity of schedules when operational problems are encountered. At present, the airport ranks fourth in Europe for airfreight throughput and the new runway will help Heathrow to maintain its status as a key global airfreight hub.”