Plans to build a new island airport in the Thames Estuary, dubbed Boris Island, have been rejected by the Airports Commission.

The plan, which would have cost circa £90bn had initial plans drawn up by Foster & Partners, however it will not be added to the shortlist of options for increasing the capacity of the capital’s airports by 2030.

Commission Chair Sir Howard Davies said: “We are not persuaded that a very large airport in the Thames estuary is the right answer to London’s and the UK’s connectivity needs.

“While we recognise the need for a hub airport, we believe this should be a part of an effective system of competing airports to meet the needs of a widely spread and diverse market like London’s.

“There are serious doubts about the delivery and operation of a very large hub airport in the estuary.

“The economic disruption would be huge and there are environmental hurdles which it may prove impossible, or very time-consuming to surmount.

“Even the least ambitious version of the scheme would cost £70 to £90 billion with much greater public expenditure involved than in other options – probably some £30 to £60 billion in total.

“There will be those who argue that the commission lacks ambition and imagination. We are ambitious for the right solution.

“The need for additional capacity is urgent. We need to focus on solutions which are deliverable, affordable, and set the right balance for the future of aviation in the UK.”

The Airports Commission will now continue to appraise the three remaining options (expansion of Gatwick or Heathrow) and will publish for public consultation in autumn.

There has been a lot of criticism already of the decision to rule out the Thames Estuary Island project which could have created far more jobs in the construction industry than the three remaining projects and which would have redefined the shape and size of London for the future.

London Mayor, Boris Johnson said he’ll press on with his plan to bring the Thames Estuary airport to fruition saying: "In one myopic stroke the Airports Commission has set the debate back by half a century and consigned their work to the long list of vertically filed reports on aviation expansion that are gathering dust on a shelf in Whitehall,"

He went on to say: "Gatwick is not a long term solution and Howard Davies must explain to the people of London how he can possibly envisage that an expansion of Heathrow, which would create unbelievable levels of noise, blight and pollution, is a better idea than a new airport to the east of London that he himself admits is visionary, and which would create the jobs and growth this country needs to remain competitive.

"It remains the only credible solution, any process that fails to include it renders itself pretty much irrelevant, and I'm absolutely certain that it is the option that will eventually be chosen."