Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussion he has had with the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) Department for International Trade on the route network operated at Heathrow and any changes to that network to be made as result of that airport's expansion.

There has been no recent discussion between the Secretary of State for Transport and either the FCO or the DIT on this topic. The revised draft Airports National Policy Statement sets out that the government expects an expanded Heathrow Airport to include at least fourteen domestic routes, compared to the eight routes currently in operation and to support the development of long haul routes to and from the UK, especially to emerging and developing markets.