Expansion of Heathrow Airport

This article is about the proposed future expansion of Heathrow Airport. For expansion in the past, see Heathrow Airport.

The expansion of Heathrow Airport is a series of proposals to add to the runways at London's busiest airport beyond its two long runways which are intensively used to serve four terminals and a large cargo operation. The plans are those presented by Heathrow Airport Holdings and an independent proposal by Heathrow Hub with the main object of increasing capacity.[1]

In early December 2006, the Department for Transport published a progress report on the strategy which confirmed the original vision of expanding the runways.[2][3] In November 2007 the government started a public consultation on its proposal for a slightly shorter third runway (2,000 metres (6,560 ft)) and a new passenger terminal.[4]

The plan was publicly supported by many businesses, the aviation industry, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry, the Trades Union Congress and the then Labour government. It was publicly opposed by Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties as opposition parties and then as a coalition government, by Boris Johnson (then Mayor of London), many environmental, local advocacy groups and prominent individuals. Although the expansion was cancelled on 12 May 2010 by the new coalition government,[5] the Airport Commission published its various-options comparative study "Final Report" on 1 July 2015 which preferred the plan.[6]

On 25 October 2016, a new northwest runway and terminal was adopted as central Government policy. In late June 2018, the resultant National Policy Statement: Airports was debated and voted on by the House of Commons; the House voted 415–119 in favour of the third runway, within which outcome many local MPs, including a majority of those from London, opposed or abstained.

On 27 February 2020, in an application for judicial review brought by environmental campaigning groups, London councils, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's decision to proceed with building the third runway were unlawful, as the government's commitments to combat climate change under the Paris Agreement were not taken into account. In response, the government announced it would not appeal against the decision, but Heathrow announced its intention to appeal to the Supreme Court.[7]

On 16 December 2020, the UK Supreme Court lifted the ban on the third runway, allowing a planning application via a Development Consent Order to go ahead.[8] The plan stalled in 2023 after post-COVID pandemic falling passenger numbers and concerns about investment costs,[9] but as of June 2024 the third runway is still planned with a projected completion date around 2040.[10]

  1. ^ "Airports Commission Final Report: July 2015". Airports Commission. 1 July 2015. p. 100. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  2. ^ "UK Government review backs London Heathrow and London Stansted airport strategy". Flight International. 14 December 2006. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Air Transport White Paper Progress Report 2006". Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2007.
  4. ^ "Industry backs third Heathrow runway as consultation opens". Flight International. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2007.
  5. ^ "Heathrow third runway plans scrapped by new government". BBC News. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  6. ^ "Airports Commission – final report". UK Government. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  7. ^ Espiner, Tom (27 February 2020). "Climate campaigners win Heathrow expansion case". BBC News. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Top UK court overturns block on Heathrow's third runway". The Guardian. 16 December 2020.
  9. ^ Topham, Gwyn (2 February 2023). "Heathrow airport boss quits after turbulent year". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Heathrow boss: "Third runway is still part of the strategy" as passenger traffic booms". Yahoo Finance. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.