New jobs, created by the construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport, will be delayed by legal wranglings, according to travel recruiters.

The government yesterday gave the go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow, a move transport secretary Geoff Hoon said would create thousands of new jobs. But Nina Johnson, managing director at Management Search Executive, told Recruiter that legal challenges over ownership of the land, where the runway is set to be built, will delay construction.

“By the time the legal wrangling over the land where the runway is supposed to be has ended, the recession will be over. What it will benefit when it is finished to is people coming over for the Olympics in 2012. It will not create jobs directly just yet.”

Ian Brooks, director at Gail Kenny Executive Search, adds: “There is no doubt that the economic environment made the decision over the third runway easier. However, the concern is that the necessary planning consent processes and legal wranglings will mean that by the time construction workers are deployed the recession will probably be well and truly over.”