Heathrow Airport, London. Photograph by Clive Darra
Heathrow Airport has submitted three possible plans [PDF] for building a third runway to the Davies Commission, which it claims would be “quicker and cheaper” than plans to build a new rival London hub airport.
The Davies report is investigating how to best expand airport capacity in London, and whilst politicians said any plans for a third runway at Heathrow were “dead and buried” last year, these plans for runways to the north, north-west or south-west of the existing airport, show that this is not the case.
The plans would expand Heathrow’s capacity from 480,000 flights per year today to 780,000 flights per year by 2025-29, with south-west or north-west the preferred options for the new runway.
Heathrow Airport claim that fewer people would be affected by noise than were currently under these plans, but environmental groups have been critical saying it would be the worst option for air and noise pollution. Other plans would be expanding capacity at Stansted or Gatwick, or a possible new airport built in the Thames estuary dubbed “Boris island”.
The vast majority of airlines (nearly 90%) support plans for a third runway at Heathrow according to a survey conducted by the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK), with Boris Island the least popular option.
All airports must submit their plans to the commission by Friday 19 July, at which point the commission will evaluate the various options, with all the plans available for the public to investigate and discuss.