A blueprint for a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport has been published by the UK government, describing its expansion as “critical to national growth”.
The government launched a 10-week consultation on the renamed Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), setting out the conditions needed if the project is to be given the go-ahead. It said the move is a milestone towards delivering a final planning decision in 2029.
Expansion plans must meet four tests: a credible and meaningful contribution to UK-wide economic growth, abiding by legally binding climate targets, not causing new air quality breaches and not increasing noise levels.
Applicants must also demonstrate how the transport network would accommodate increased passenger numbers, including how any necessary road and rail improvements would be delivered.
The blueprint states that the government is “committed to harnessing the opportunities Heathrow expansion creates to deliver a modern, efficient transport system that attracts international investment, improves connectivity and enhances the UK’s global competitiveness”.
The London airports system – which also includes Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, Bristol and London City – is forecast to be full by the mid to late 2040s. Heathrow, the busiest two-runway airport in the world, has been at or near full capacity for more than 20 years.
The Airports Commission concluded in 2015 that a third runway at Heathrow presented the clearest case for increasing capacity with the greatest economic benefit.
The government estimates that a third runway would result in 217,000 additional flights a year by 2055 across the UK, including 38,000 long-haul, and 45 million additional passengers a year. It believes expansion would attract international investment, boost Britain’s connectivity to new markets, and could deliver more than £40 billion of benefits to the UK.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who announced in January 2025 that the government would back a third runway to “kick-start economic growth”, said she was determined to get “spades in the ground”, saying Heathrow was “not punching its weight” as a hub airport.
Speaking at the Times CEO Summit in London, she said: “We have – in record time for a national policy statement – published today the draft Heathrow national policy statement. We are on track to get spades in the ground in this parliament, and to have that third runway built by 2035. And this is the next stage of that, being published today to give confidence to investors that we are going to crack on and deliver this project.”
The Arora Group's plans for Heathrow expansion. Photo: Heathrow West by the Arora Group Info
Ms Reeves argued that Heathrow was “the perfect example of the problem in the UK in being able to get stuff done”, with people knowing “for years, decades” that a third runway was needed but failing to build one.
She said: “We’ve got to have that hub airport if we are going to be globally competitive, open for business, open for investment, and open for talent. And so somebody had to bite the bullet and say: ‘Do you know what? We are actually going to pick a fight, choose that fight, and win it.’
“And I am determined that by the time of the next election, there are spades in the ground, and people can see that once again this is a country that can get things done, that is confident in ourselves, not just in our past glories, but in our future success too.”
Two proposals to expand Heathrow, which last month marked its 80th anniversary – have previously been presented to the government.
The airport’s owners – Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) – want to obtain permission to build a full-length, 3,500-metre runway, which would require the M25 motorway being moved. It also plans to modernise and reconfigure existing terminals.
Hotel tycoon Surinder Arora wants his company to install a 2,800-metre runway which would not involve moving the motorway.
The challenger said the door had been left open for his proposal. “We welcome the Government progressing Heathrow expansion. We specifically welcome them leaving the door open to competitive tenders to ensure the best proposals can be advanced," Mr Arora said. "This is in addition to making allowances for a runway of up to 3500m which makes the scheme more flexible in order to deliver benefits in timescale and affordability."
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced in November that her preference was for a full-length runway. Voice against the full HAL scheme have grown, including Willie Walsh, the chairman of IATA.
HAL’s scheme is estimated to cost £33 billion, including £1.5 billion to move the M25, and is expected to be fully privately financed. It would see Heathrow’s capacity increase to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers per year.
A poem titled Gateway to the World, was inscribed in a field in Hounslow to mark nearby Heathrow's 80th birthday. PA Info
Passenger numbers at Heathrow fell last month due to the impact of the Iran w…
Read the full article at The National →
AE