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The loss of jobs from closing Heathrow to make way for a new hub airport in London would 鈥渕ake closing down the pits look easy鈥�, London Assembly members have been told today.

The London Assembly Transport Committee took evidence from airline bosses and aviation experts on the case for expansion of London鈥檚 airport capacity.

John Dickie, director of strategy and policy at think tank London First, said sidelining Heathrow in favour of a brand new hub airport elsewhere would create political problems.

鈥淚t would make closing the pits look easy,鈥� he said, comparing the closure of Heathrow to the way the Thatcher government presided over the closure of many of Britain鈥檚 coal mines in the 1980s.

Dickie estimated around 75,000 people were directly employed by Heathrow and further 50,000 had jobs directly dependant on the airport.

鈥淭here are a large number of businesses located in and around Heathrow because of connectivity,鈥� he added. He said there was no guarantee these businesses would move to a new hub airport and said a proportion would likely move abroad.

He said building a new hub would also require an 鈥渆xtraordinary level of political commitment鈥� from all parties and that 鈥渨e are not good at doing that in this country鈥�.

Dickie argued that expansion at Heathrow and Gatwick would be easier because the airports鈥� owners are already interested in funding it.

The Transport Committee will submit the findings of its investigation to Sir Howard Davies鈥� independent commission on airport capacity in May.