Britain rejected the airport project supported by the Mayor of London

London - A British commission appointed by the government today rejected a plan to build a large airport east of London. The decision is a blow to London Mayor Boris Johnson, who supported the project. According to Reuters, the mayor said he was disappointed by the commission's decision. However, he intends to continue fighting for the project.
    The project, which was referred to as Boris's Island due to Johnson's substantial support, involved the construction of an airport at the mouth of the River Thames. However, according to the head of the commission dealing with the capacities of British airports, the plan was not feasible due to costs or environmental concerns.
    In the commission’s narrower selection, three options for expanding British airport capacities remain. Two consider expanding the other London airport, Heathrow, while one considers expanding Gatwick Airport. The commission is expected to recommend one of the options by the summer of next year.
    Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe in terms of passenger traffic and the third busiest in the world. However, it is so heavily utilized that it reportedly falls behind European rivals in the competition for lucrative routes to emerging markets.
    Politicians and business leaders agree that the southeast of the country needs new airport capacities. However, the idea of expanding them near London does not appeal to many voters, who are concerned about noise, pollution, and safety.
    The commission estimated last year that the costs of the airport project advocated by the London mayor could reach up to £112 billion (CZK 3.9 trillion). This would be up to five times more than the other three selected options.
    The mayor, who some consider a possible successor to current Prime Minister David Cameron, confirmed last week that he would attempt to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections planned for next year in the constituency in west London.