CAMPAIGNERS slammed the government’s decision to approve Luton airport’s expansion plan today. 

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander gave the go-ahead to the airport’s development consent order (DCO) application, ignoring advice from the Planning Inspectorate that she should turn it down over environmental concerns.

The project aims to raise the airport’s cap on annual passenger numbers from 18 million to 32 million by the mid-2040s. The expansion would increase its existing terminal and see the construction of a second terminal.