Heathrow has submitted its “shovel-ready” plans for a third runway as part of a £50bn investment, with the government saying expanding Europe’s largest airport could create 100,000 jobs and drive growth. The 2-mile (3.2km) runway expansion would cross a diverted M25 and allow more than 750 additional flights a day, bringing the total annual passenger capacity to 150 million.
The airport said that with government support it could obtain planning permission by 2029 and have the runway operational by 2035. The proposals remain essentially the same as those submitted in 2019 and approved in principle by the government and MPs, though that scheme was briefly blocked on climate grounds before being overturned on appeal in 2020.
Heathrow is seeking legislative change and long-term political support before filing a full planning application. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has strongly endorsed expansion, but the airport wants firm policy guarantees, including airspace modernisation, passage of the planning and infrastructure bill, and assurances from the Civil Aviation Authority that it can levy charges high enough to recoup its investment.
The cost of the runway itself has risen to £21bn from £14bn six years ago due to inflation, with an additional £12bn for extending Terminal 5 and £15bn for wider airport upgrades. Chief executive Thomas Woldbye said it had “never been more important or urgent to expand Heathrow”, adding that the airport is “operating at capacity to the detriment of trade and connectivity”.
Environmental campaigners called it a “doomed scheme” that would release millions of tonnes of CO2 while benefiting only a small minority of rich flyers. However, business groups including the CBI and the British Chambers of Commerce backed the expansion, saying it would unlock billions in private investment and create jobs.
The government has promised to review the plans over the summer, with Heathrow pressing for a green light in September. A rival proposal from the Arora Group for a shorter runway further east will also be examined, but Heathrow said it did not believe alternative schemes could deliver the same benefits.
