Heathrow Airport Expansion

Heathrow Airports’ ambitious £14bn expansion plans for a third runway are still on-track with the Airport aiming for completion by 2028-29, and they’ve now announced an eight-week consultation to run this summer.

Bosses have confirmed their desire to open the airport’s third runway before 2030 – a project which could unleash a major economic boost to the UK. [emaillocker id=”71749″]

The Heathrow & West London Development Conference will look at the development opportunities the expansion will bring to the region. Click to view event details >

An expansion at Heathrow was approved by the UK Government as the preferred option to increase the UK’s air capacity in 2015. Last month, the airport announced its plans to submit a planning application by the end of the year with a view to opening the third runway in 2028 or 2029.

Now an eight week consultation has been scheduled for this summer to allow local communities to review the expansion proposal and offer feedback. The latest consultation comes as a result of a decision by the Civil Aviation Authority to cap early spending on the project, which led to a “refreshed modelling of key aspects of the plan”.

Heathrow Airport Executive Director for Expansion Emma Gilthorpe said: “This country is ready for a decade of infrastructure delivery underpinned by expansion at Heathrow. We are keen to ensure our plans continue to be supported and shaped by local people as we prepare to deliver the economic boost Britain needs.”

According to the latest timeline the consultation will run from April through to June, with a planning application set to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate towards the end of the year. If the plan is approved by the Secretary of State, the runway will aim to be operational by late 2029 at the latest.

In the last decade, Heathrow has seen an 18% increase in passengers – equivalent to 15 million people – with that growth supported by £12bn worth of private investment at the site. In 2019, a record 80.9 million passengers travelled through the airport as it marked its ninth consecutive year of growth. [/emaillocker]