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County councillors are unanimously backing Eddie Stobart's plans to redevelop Carlisle airport and launch Stobart Air. The country's most recognised haulage company is only days away from discovering whether its £30m project to take to the skies can go ahead, and chief executive Andrew Tinkler believes the support of Cumbria County Council is essential. The city council will make the ultimate  decision, but a recent meeting of the county council's Development Control and Regulation Committee recommended the scheme be given the green light.

A committee report spelled out a range of economic benefits in constructing a runway, passenger terminal, air traffic control centre and distribution warehouses. It also suggested initiatives to help prevent the application stalling, such as providing additional bus services, boosting traffic access and carrying out further archaeological investigations.

Tinkler warns that if the application is rejected, the company may have to relocate its head office outside Cumbria. He adds: "The [county] council has been behind it all the time. We didn't want it to get locked up in red tape, so we are trying to work with the council so we can tick as many boxes as possible. We are quite comfortable with what they are putting in. We've spent a lot of money on the archaeology."

Tinkler says objections have come from environmentalists  and says: "English Heritage has a duty of care to make sure they have an English Heritage site, but also to find ways of getting people [to Cumbria]. They have to promote it." A county council spokesman says: "We are getting it up to speed, where it needs to be. Our economic regeneration team has been sitting down and figuring out how to get this application to cut the mustard."

Committee chairman Geoff Prest says: "This airport will be good for Cumbria. Every effort is being made to support the application and to make sure it stands up when the final planning decision is made." A decision is due on 15 February.