Iata has joined calls to ensure that building a third runway at Heathrow does not lead to higher charges.
The global airline trade body welcomed the House of Commons vote in favour of the National Policy Statement (NPS) on airports which opens the way to the long-overdue expansion of the London hub.
However, doubts were raised over airport charges as airport chief executive John Holland-Kaye refused to rule out an increase in landing fees.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme yesterday that it would be “foolish to guarantee flat charges at this stage”.
Holland-Kaye said fees would stay “close to current charges” while insisting that Heathrow had a track record of completing big projects on time and on budget.
Iata Europe regional vice president Rafael Schvartzman said: “After years of delay, the approval of the NPS is a momentous day for air travel not just in the UK, but for the global air transport network.
“This decision will create new jobs and new economic opportunities in the UK and strengthen ties to growing export markets.
“But these benefits will only be safeguarded if the expansion is delivered at a competitive cost. Passengers and airlines must not pay increased charges.
“And operational flexibility is essential, especially to continue to allow a small number of essential early morning flights. It would be a shame if, having waited so long for the fruits of expansion, the UK were to shoot itself in the foot by creating an overpriced, uncompetitive airport.”
Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways owner International Airlines Group, has been among the most vocal critics of the £14 billion expansion of Heathrow, describing the cost as “outrageous and uncceptable”.