At East London airport, 1time, a low-cost South African airline, informed me that my ticket to Johannesburg had been cancelled.

ECONOMIST: Business travel

London Mayor Boris Johnson, who favours building a new airport east of London, has called for the issue to be settled once and for all by ruling out a new runway beyond 2015.

BBC: Heathrow expansion referendum call by Richmond Council

Once completed, the Crossrail route will run 73 miles from east to west across London, improving access to Heathrow Airport, central London and towns to the east.

CNN: London rail excavation unearths suspected 'plague pit'

These could include Mr Johnson's proposal to build a new airport east of London, partly on reclaimed land in the Thames Estuary.

BBC: Heathrow expansion won't happen, says Vince Cable

Mr Johnson, who favours building a new airport east of London, has called for the issue to be settled once and for all by ruling out a new runway beyond 2015 - the scheduled date of the next election.

BBC: Heathrow: Government to study airport expansion plans

Recent examples have included Stansted Airport, Heathrow's fifth terminal, Manchester Airport's second runway and the east London river crossing.

BBC: Planning shake-up unveiled

The mayor of London has accused the government of inertia in putting off decisions on airport expansion in the south east of England until after the next election, and said the timetable sets a course for economic catastrophe.

BBC: UK Politics

This will enable long-stalled projects to be built at last, such as a new east-west rail link (CrossRail) and an extension of the Docklands light railway to London's City Airport.

ECONOMIST: British election briefing: Transport