John Holland-Kaye: 'Expanding Heathrow has always been the only answer'

Airport's chief executive is not frustrated by the third runway impasse, he insists, but 'working on being a good neighbour'

If not quite digging a third runway, Heathrow was at least expecting by now to know whether the government would allow it. But if the airport's chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, feels like banging his head on Westminster's walls after years of its sputtering process, he's not showing it.

"Like Alan B'Stard," he remarks, as he adopts the pose of Rik Mayall's fictional MP beside parliament. Holland-Kaye is not averse to a bit of Union Jack-waving in the cause of business and has a certain floppy-haired, statesmanlike bearing. But otherwise, he appears disappointingly decent, or a particularly well disguised b'stard, declaring that Heathrow must be a good neighbour, clean up its act, and push diversity and opportunity.