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Heathrow development director John Holland-Kaye is being tipped as the successor to outgoing chief executive Colin Matthews.
If appointed, Holland-Kaye would lead the fight to government for a third runway at the capacity-squeezed London hub.
He is understood to have been competing against two external candidates, one based in Asia, during the final stages of the selection process, Sky News reported.
His appointment, which required the approval of Heathrow’s shareholders, had not yet been rubber-stamped yesterday, sources reportedly said.
Holland-Kaye, a former executive at house builder Taylor Wimpey, has led much of the work on the construction of the airport’s new Terminal 2, which is due to be opened by the Queen next month.
Matthews announced in April that he intended to step down after six years.
Ministers will not take a decision about the location of new runways until after next year’s general election, with Heathrow and Gatwick shortlisted by the Airports Commission.
A Heathrow spokesman declined to comment.