Despite the latest legal victory, Heathrow expansion still has a lot of obstacles to navigate

Analysis: The national benefits of aviation must be balanced against local and global concerns – and the political dimension could also be about to muscle its way in

At the conclusion of any court case, the terms that naturally present themselves are “victory” and “defeat”. It is tempting to regard the High Court’s dismissal of all five legal challenges over expansion at Heathrow as a 5-0 trouncing by proponents of the third runway.

Surely, the ruling by Lord Justice Hickinbottom quashes the environmental arguments against airport expansion, as well as the commercial case brought by Heathrow Hub for an extended northern runway, once and for all?