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Ministers have backed a plan for a third runway at Heathrow to be in operation by 2035 as they opted for the longer, costlier runway drawn up by the airport’s owners as the basis for its expansion.
The £33bn scheme for a 2.2-mile (3.5km) north-western runway crossing the M25 motorway was picked in preference as the “most credible and deliverable option”, ahead of a rival plan submitted by the Arora Group.
The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said the choice would enable swift progress to full planning permission by 2029, providing the runway met the government’s “four tests”, including environmental, economic, noise and air quality considerations.
She said: “We’re acting swiftly and decisively to get this project off the ground so we can realise its transformational potential for passengers, businesses, and our economy sooner.”
Alexander said that Heathrow Airport Ltd’s scheme was more deliverable “principally due to the relative maturity of its proposal”, including the plans to move and rebuild the section of the M25 under the runway.
She said that despite the huge motorway works, estimated to cost £1.5bn alone, the rival Arora (Heathrow West) scheme would also have had a considerable impact on the M25, as well as needing more homes to be bought.
Arora’s alternative proposal was based on a shorter, 1.7-mile runway farther to the east, which it said it could deliver for £23bn and would not require moving the M25. It would also have been in operation by 2035.
Alexander said the government would now review the airports national policy statement, needed for the runway to progress, with a full public consultation by July next year.
A Heathrow spokesperson welcomed the decision, saying expanding the airport “will mean more connectivity, increased trade, improved passenger experience and a huge economic boost for the British businesses that will help design and build it”.
They said, however, that “further clarity” was needed on how the next phase of the project would be regulated, calling for “definitive decisions” from government and the Civil Aviation Authority in the coming weeks.
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The hotels tycoon Surinder Arora, the chair of the Arora Group, said his company would continue to aim to build the runway, despite its own proposal being turned down. He said: “The option for a promoter other than Heathrow Airport Ltd remains possible. It’s imperative there is a clear and transparent process for selecting a promoter to ensure it best serves the interests of consumers.
“We are firm supporters of expansion, so will back its progress. We are now reviewing how our plans will be adjusted to the longer runway scheme.”
The runway itself is expected to cost £21bn, with a further £12bn needed for associated infrastructure including new satellite terminals. Heathrow has promised a further £15bn investment in airport improvements. The scheme is expected to be fully privately financed. It could mean up to 760 more planes in the skies around London every day, with the airport’s capacity increasing to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers a year.
The Department for Transport said it was clear that Heathrow expansion should meet the UK’s legally binding climate obligations, and said the independent Climate Change Committee would be consulted to ensure it was consistent with the net zero framework.
But environmental groups said that was not feasible. Tony Bosworth, a climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said the scheme was “the equivalent of bolting an airport the size of Gatwick on to Heathrow. Expanding Heathrow simply isn’t compatible with our legally binding climate targets, even if the government meets its hugely optimistic assumptions for emerging technologies, such as sustainable aviation fuels.
“We need evidence-based decision-making, not a reckless gamble with our future.”
