AIRPORT chiefs have rubbished claims that the death of a massive road project will hit plans to extend a runway at the site.

Bosses at Wolverhampton Airport said the Government's decision to quash the controversial Western Orbital scheme would not put the airport's bid - the fate of which lies at Westminster - out of the running.

The plan did not rely on the building of the orbital - three by-passes cutting through the Black Country - said group chief executive at City Hopper Airports Paul Whelan.

Instead, a £28 million spending programme on the surrounding roads would be enough to cope with the surge in traffic, he claimed.

Mr Whelan said: "This does not affect our plans at all. The Western Orbital is something which is outside of our jurisdiction and is not linked to us.

"We have a transport strategy which has been independently verified by three firms of consultants. As far as we are concerned, it is business as usual."

The rebuke comes after councillors said the slamming of the door on the orbital scheme was certain to put a dent in City Hopper's bid to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling.

The plan is to extend one of the airport's runways by 1,000 metres allowing up to four million passengers a year to fly from the site.

Wyre Forest district councillor Fran Oborski said the scheme was "completely impractical" now the orbital plan had been thrown out.

She said: "You cannot consider the airport expansion without the orbital. It may never have been part of their plans but the impact of the airport on the local roads means there is no way any sane planning authority will consider giving it planning permission."

Howard Martin, the leader of the district council, claimed the move signalled the "death of Wolverhampton Airport" and said City Hopper's alternative road scheme was likely to run into trouble.

He said: "There has got to be proper links to the motorways and the arterial roads around the airport. The nearest main road, the A449, could not cope without the orbital.

"And you don't get a lot of roads for £25 million."

Yet the fight against the airport's bid was far from over, said leading campaigner and Cookley district councillor Chris Nicholls.

He said: "The orbital and the airport's plans are not inclusive and suggestions to the contrary are going to lead to complacency. The issue is very much alive."