But they warned, “this is simply the beginning”, and urged ministers to push forward to ensure that the new runway at Heathrow is delivered on time and within budget, while others warned that the decision did not go far enough.

Dale Keller, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives UK said: “We welcome that a decision has finally been made to allow an additional runway at Heathrow, and yet for us this is simply the beginning and the real work starts now.

“We look forward to engaging closely with the government and Heathrow Airport Limited during the public consultation and National Policy Statement process that follows, to ensure that the new capacity can be financed without pre-funding by today’s passengers and be delivered on-time and at a cost that is affordable to airlines and the travelling public.”

Carolyn McCall, chief executive of easyJet, praised the decision: "This is good news for UK consumers and businesses and will help ensure that the UK is better connected to the rest of the world.
 
“With the right charging structure and the right infrastructure for our efficient model, easyJet plans to operate from Heathrow, in addition to our existing London bases, providing new routes and lower fares to customers.”

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) also said it welcomed the announcement. "An expanded Heathrow would offer the opportunity for unserved UK airports such as Liverpool, to further grow their networks, something that is crucial for generating growth across the whole country, not just London and the south east," it said in a statement.

Chief Executive of the Airport Operators Association, Darren Caplan said the decision marked a “first step in the process towards ensuring the UK has the additional capacity it needs to help the country deliver, sustainably, the connectivity it requires in the future.”

“The Department for Transport’s most optimistic passenger forecast scenarios from 2013 showed London and South East airports being full by 2030, and airports outside London and the South East filling up from 2040 – yet 2015’s actual passenger numbers were already almost 17 million higher than the 2013 forecast. This is an agenda which benefits not just airports around the country, but also UK plc, and its economy and connectivity more widely.”

A number of airlines and associations insisted expansion at only Heathrow was simply a short-term solution.

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer, said the association welcomed today’s announcement but added: “Abta takes a long-term view on growing airport capacity. We have urged expansion at both Heathrow and Gatwick to meet the 2050 demand, rather than just 2030 capacity needs.

“The case for expansion at both airports remains clear: Heathrow is full and Gatwick operates at full capacity at peak times. Additional capacity is essential at both airports to cope with growing passenger demand and provide resilience.
 
Ryanair was dismissive of the announcement. Chief execuitve Michael O’Leary branded the decision a “piecemeal approach”, which he said was “damaging British tourism and the competitiveness of London airports”.

“Approving a third runway at Heathrow over Gatwick is not the way forward. London now benefits from three competing airports, and three large competing airlines (BA, easyJet and Ryanair) and the best way to deliver additional runways in a timely and cost efficient manner is to approve three additional runways, one each at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. The threat of additional runways at competitor airports will force Heathrow to keep its costs down while developing a third runway in the most timely and efficient manner.
 
“Today’s decision, which implies that Heathrow can build a third runway at the expense of Gatwick and Stansted, will simply encourage this Spanish-owned monopoly to yet again waste billions on gold plated expensive facilities, and game the regulatory system with higher airport fees and higher air fares.
 
“Theresa May’s Government in a post-Brexit world has promised to make Britain an open, competitive and outward looking economy. Today’s decision to approve just one runway (instead of the three competing runways) does not achieve this objective. It’s a return to monopoly featherbedding at Heathrow, and a continuation of runway capacity constraints in the south east that will ultimately be bad for consumer choice and fares.”

Flybe has called on the government to "allow scheduled commercial flights to and from RAF Northolt to fast-track the benefits of regional connectivity."

It added in a statement: "The new capacity at Heathrow will take a decade or more to build and Northolt is available right now."

Meanwhile UKinbound’s chief executive officer, Deirdre Wells OBE said: “UKinbound is delighted that a decision has been made by the Government and that the building of a new runway at London Heathrow will now move forward.

“[But] the UK’s tourism industry is predicted to continue its rapid growth as a key destination for leisure and business travellers. Given this, we ask the Government to develop a transport infrastructure to match demand and that a second runway at London Gatwick not be dismissed in the long-term.”