UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has set out the next stage of delivering a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

The government is on track to publish final proposals for expansion at Heathrow in the first half of 2018 for a vote in Parliament, he said.

The public has until December 19 to respond to the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement, including long term aviation forecasts and the new government National air quality plan.

Once Parliament approves the final document, it will set the planning policy framework which the airport needs in order to bring forward a planning application for the new northwest runway.

A new Heathrow runway is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs by 2030 and an additional 260,000 flights a year.

“Leaving the EU is a new chapter for Britain and provides us with a great opportunity to forge a new role in the world,” said Grayling. “We are determined to seize that opportunity and having the right infrastructure in place will allow us to build a more global Britain.”

The Transport Secretary confirmed that the government’s preferred scheme for adding new runway capacity in the south-east was through a new north-west runway at Heathrow Airport. The preference was reached in the interests of making sure Britain has the connections it needs to thrive in the global market, according to Grayling.

“Heathrow is the UK’s biggest freight port by value and a new runway would provide a post-Brexit boost for exports,” he said. “Heathrow’s expansion would open up new links between the UK and markets around the world. It would connect UK goods and services to global customers and make the UK a more attractive location for inward investment.”

Responding to the government’s announcement a Heathrow spokesperson said: “The consultation launched today is a key milestone in developing the Airports NPS which will strengthen the policy framework for expanding Heathrow. The forecasts show expanding Heathrow, the UK’s only hub airport, is even more important than previously realized. A third runway will ensure Britain’s place in the world as an outward looking trading nation. That’s why the Government has committed to a final vote on expansion in the first half of 2018.

“We remain on track to build an expanded Heathrow and deliver a once-in-a-generation boost for the economy in a way that is affordable, financeable and deliverable,” the spokesperson added.