Industry leaders from across Britain have offered their support to plans to expand airport capacity in the south-east of England.

Called Let Britain Fly, a new campaign sees 100 leading executives warn that the need for more airport capacity is urgent.

They argue: “Heathrow is full and Gatwick and Stansted soon will be.”

Campaigners add: “We believe Britain remaining Europe’s most important aviation hub is of strategic national importance.

“If politicians fail to act soon to expand airport capacity our economy will lose its competitive edge.

“So our aim is to build cross-party political support to build new runways.”

Top companies, including Asda, Boots, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Next and WPP, have added their names to the list supporting Let Britain Fly.

Travel organisations are also represented, including the pilots’ union BALPA, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK) and the Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC).

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has also thrown his weight behind the campaign, saying the message from Let Britain Fly is a “warning worth listening to”.

The Conservative-led coalition government has at presented kicked the issuing into the long-grass, asking Sir Howard Davies to lead an Airports Commission and recommend how to finally deal with this and his report is due in 2015.

More information here.