The next runway in London will not be built at either Heathrow or Gatwick Airport, according to the chief executive of Ryanair.
Michael O’Leary told City A.M. the proposals put forward by the UK’s two largest airports were “too expensive” and an additional runway at rival Stansted was more likely.
The viability of both Heathrow and Gatwick’s multi-billion plans for extra runway capacity have been questioned fiercely in recent years, and neither project’s future is guaranteed as yet.
Heathrow’s £14bn third runway proposal forms one of the most expensive private sector infrastructure projects in British history and is currently “under review” by executives at the airport.
To make space for a third strip, the West-London hub has suggested tunnelling under of the busiest sections of the M25, while demolishing hundreds of homes and a nearby primary school.
Its Sussex rival’s more modest £2.2bn plans, which await the outcome of a planning inspectorate examination, intend on keeping construction within the airport perimeter. However Easyjet, Gatwick’s biggest airline, has questioned whether the airport has the infrastructure to handle such a capacity increase.
The new Labour government has signalled it is “open-minded” towards UK airport expansion. Last week, London City was given the go-ahead to increase capacity from 6.5m to 9m, despite opposition from local campaigners.
“It’s a good start, it’s a good sign,” O’Leary told City A.M. “For far too long London has been held up by these debates over the next runway and environmental restrictions… all the rest of it.”
The Irish businessman added the UK capital needed to “have more flights” as one of the “great tourism hubs of Europe.”
British infrastructure policy should also focus on expanding airport capacity in the South East as a whole, he said, “so that all the growth is not lost by London to Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow.”
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “London Gatwick’s privately funded Northern Runway plans will be a major contributor to our airport’s long-term growth and deliver a significant boost to the region, by generating 14,000 new jobs and £1bn for the economy every year.
“Our plans are low impact, in line with government policy and will deliver sustainable, incremental growth to meet future demand in London and the Southeast. Construction could start in 2025 and be completed and ready for operational use by the end of the decade.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Heathrow said: “Any expansion at Heathrow is a huge decision for the airport, colleagues, local communities and the country. The business rightfully needs to take the time to get this right and can’t be rushed into making a decision.
“For now, the focus is on how we can optimise infrastructure we already have at Heathrow, in a space constrained environment. Investing in NGS and the Terminal 2 baggage system are just some examples on how we will make passenger processes faster, more efficient and more resilient.”