Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited has published its plans for a third runway and a significant expansion of the airport buildings which would increase its flight capacity hugely
Heathrow Airport has unveiled new plans for a third runway it claims would add 30 new daily routes and hundreds of thousands more flights each year.
The west London travel hub has submitted its “shovel‑ready” proposals for a 100% privately financed third runway, capable of flights taking off within a decade. Heathrow says this would deliver at least “30 new daily routes, extra domestic connections and a better selection of flight times to the most popular destinations”.
Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited (which is owned by investors including Ardian, Qatar Investment Authority, Public Investment Fund, GIC, Australian Retirement Trust, and China Investment Corporation) has not been shy about its ambitions. It claims the work would grow the UK economy by 0.43% GDP, add 50% capacity to “the country’s most valuable trading port.” The announcement comes after dozens of Heathrow flights were cancelled after an air traffic control outage.
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The plan includes:
- A north‑western runway up to 3,500 m long
- Increased capacity to serve 276,000 new flights annually, taking the total to 756,000 flights, and 150 m passengers a year
- A brand‑new terminal ‘T5X’, expanding Terminal 2 and three new satellite terminals
The investment consists of three main elements: £21 bn for the new runway and airfield infrastructure (up from £14 bn in 2018 due to construction inflation), £12 bn for new terminal and stand capacity – the new T5X – and £15 bn for modernising the current airport through expanding Terminal 2 and ultimately closing Terminal 3.
The plans are likely to frustrate those concerned about the environment, given the very high‑emission nature of commercial air travel. Flying is one of, if not the most polluting, forms of transport, producing at least five times more emissions per passenger than rail, according to a conservative estimate from the European Environment Agency.
While aviation contributes around 4% of global greenhouse‑gas emissions now, that is largely because such a small percentage of the global population can afford to fly. Figures vary significantly, but roughly 5 to 10% of the global population take a flight each year. That number is rising quickly. If it continues to do so, it could reach 20% of global emissions by 2050, according to Boston Consulting Group.
Given the fact overall emissions are rising each year, and that the Earth is hurtling towards potential climate tipping points, the growth of aviation will almost certainly be an environmental disaster.
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However, Heathrow insists that its plans for massive expansion are consistent with its plans to reach net zero by 2050. It claims to have a deliverable plan to get there, as well as setting targets on noise reduction and air quality.
“The airport is already ahead of target on its decarbonisation journey, cutting carbon from flights by around 10% since 2019, and carbon on the ground by 15%, and has plans to ramp up further its world leadership on the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF),” a press release on the expansion plans reads.
“Heathrow’s noise footprint has reduced by 41% since 2006 and all air quality monitors around the airport are meeting limits. A third runway and redesigned airspace will give communities and passengers more certainty and reliability on flight paths.”
Green Party MP, Ellie Chowns, argues that Heathrow’s eco claims are false. “Heathrow Airport expansion is a flightmare on Downing Street for people and planet. On one hand, this government is saying they’re taking the climate crisis seriously, and on the other, they’re backing a project that will release a reported 4.4m tonnes of CO2 a year. These expansion plans would see the number of flights at Heathrow Airport go up to 720,000 from their current capped number of 480,000 a year,” she said.
“These expansion plans are, at their heart, aimed to deliver profit for shareholders to enable a small group of people to fly more and more. In the UK we have a few frequent flyers that make up less than 3% of the UK population but take 30% of all journeys.
“On top of this, they seem oblivious to the impact that these plans will have on the communities currently living around Heathrow. Government must be grounded in reality and look hard at the climate science. No credible net-zero plan can include rampant airport expansion, and it’s time Labour looked to the many, many alternative ways to create high-paid green jobs.”
Heathrow has said its plans will create “tens of thousands of employment opportunities during design, construction and operation, unlocking lifelong careers for those who live closest. Meanwhile 60% of the wider supply chain spend will go to companies outside London and the South-East, a truly national endeavour.”
Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said: “It has never been more important or urgent to expand Heathrow. We are effectively operating at capacity to the detriment of trade and connectivity. With a green light from Government and the correct policy support underpinned by a fit for purpose regulatory model, we are ready to mobilise and start investing this year in our supply chain across the country. We are uniquely placed to do this for the country; it is time to clear the way for take-off.”
The plans have received the backing of high-profile aviation and business leaders, including Kenton Jarvis, CEO of easyJet. “Expansion at Heathrow will provide consumer and economic benefits and represents a unique opportunity for easyJet to operate from the airport at scale for the first time and bring with it lower fares for consumers,” he said.
Somewhat confusingly, Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited’s expansion plans are different from those of hotel tycoon Surinder Arora, who made them public earlier today. He announced that he would be submitting his own Heathrow expansion plan, which rivals a proposal from the airport’s owners.
The billionaire’s Arora Group said the “primary benefit” of its plan was a shorter new runway, which would avoid the costly and disruptive need to divert the M25 motorway. Building a 2,800-metre third runway instead of the full-length 3,500-metre runway planned by the airport would result in “reduced risk” and avoid “spiralling cost”, the company has claimed.
In June, the government invited competing proposals, external for Heathrow’s expansion and set a deadline of 31 July.