Heathrow’s top brass have tabled their proposal to manage the hub’s long-awaited third runway expansion in a bidding process that will pit it against a rival operator for the first time in the airport’s history.
Officials from the airport confirmed had submitted “shovel-ready” plans for a privately financed runway ahead of the Department for Transport’s deadline on Thursday, which they claimed would clear the way for flights to to take off within a decade.
Heathrow confirmed its submission just a day after another operator – led by hotel tycoon Surinder Arora – revealed it was tabling a rival proposal to run the megaproject.
The stand off marks the first time infrastructure upgrades at the UK’s flagship aviation hub have been open to external bidders, in a decision ministers hope will lead to greater competition and more efficient plans being proposed.
The two sets of plans already diverged on how to negotiate the thorny issue of the M25 running where the third runway would naturally finish. Heathrow’s plans contain a £1bn move to reroute the M25, which would tunnel under the southern end of the contentious strip.
Heathrow said the expensive provision means the runway will clock in at the standard 3,500m length and will enable the UK to derive the maximum amount of traffic, and economic benefit, after construction.
But under Arora’s proposal – spearheaded by the billionaire’s hotel group Arora Group but which was devised by aviation project firm Bechtel – the runway would stretch just 2,800m. Arora claims its shorter runway would allow it to keep a lid on costs during construction and will allow for a more punctual delivery while also being suitable for all types of aircraft.
A birds-eye view plan of Heathrow’s proposal (image courtesy of Heathrow)
Heathrow expansion ‘never been more important’
Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “It has never been more important or urgent to expand Heathrow.
“We are effectively operating at capacity to the detriment of trade and connectivity. With a green light from government and the correct policy support underpinned by a fit for purpose regulatory model, we are ready to mobilise and start investing this year in our supply chain across the country.”
The incumbent claims its proposal would pave the way for 276,000 new flights every year, and take the total annual traffic in the hub from 480,000 to as much as 756,000. It also says its new terminal, which would form part of a new ‘terminal complex’.
But the airport’s leadership also warned the private capital that the project will rely on would only be available by investors if government put in place “necessary policy changes”, which it said included airspace modernisation, planning reform and tweaks to regulation.
The spectre of a third runway has become a major political football since it was first mooted under Gordon Brown’s premiership over 15 years ago. As Mayor of London, Boris Johnson famously said he would “lie down in front of the diggers” before allowing it to progress.
His predecessor Sadiq Khan has been equally sceptical, and has has previously suggested he could mount a legal challenge against the project.
He said on Thursday that he still opposed the plans “because of the severe impact it will have in terms of noise, air pollution and meeting our climate change targets”.
“I remain unconvinced that you can have a new runway at Heathrow, delivering hundreds of thousands of additional flights every year, without a hugely detrimental impact on our environment,” he added.