Overview of aircraft in front of the London skyline, Heathrow Airport, London, UK, October 11, 2016.
Jack Taylor | Getty Images News | Getty Images
LONDON – Heathrow Airport’s chief executive said on Monday he would call on the UK government to take a final decision on building a third runway at the airport by the end of 2025, adding there was “positive momentum” in recent talks. He added that it can be seen.
Thomas Waldbye told the Airlines 2024 conference that airports needed additional capacity, which would support the government’s economic growth and industrial strategy. But he said it was ultimately up to the states to approve the plan, which has been highly controversial for decades.
“Heathrow is running out of capacity… so if you want to get past a certain number of passengers at Heathrow, whether it’s 90 million or something like that, you need a third runway. But that’s not a debate,” Waldbye said.
“Then the next thing is, if that’s what we want, how do we make it happen? By ‘we’ we’re not just talking about Heathrow Airport, we’re talking about the airlines, This refers to the government, Congress, and everyone around us. Because if Britain doesn’t. If you want a runway, why build one? That’s not for Heathrow to decide…but transport strategy is a government issue,” Waldby acknowledged. “It’s not an easy decision.”
“The project is there and we know how to build it. It’s been there for a long time,” he continued. “I’m going to go[to the UK government]and say this much: The demand is there. But this is going to be one of the biggest infrastructure projects in British history. So we have to ask the government. Will you accompany me on the journey? No, we have forgotten it.”
Mr Waldby added that there was “definitely positive momentum” behind these talks with the new Labor government, and said he expected a final decision to be made “in one form or another” by the end of 2025. .
He said: “Otherwise we keep wasting money and time. I’m serious about making decisions and making the right decisions, which will be based on a UK-wide strategy.” He said it would be. Mr Waldby said if the project received government approval but no public funding, the airport would need to present a proposal with clear costs to Heathrow’s shareholders, and if it received support. I explained that I believed it.
He said the airport is seeking to increase capacity as much as possible through efficiency measures on its two existing runways and is developing expansion plans that do not involve a third runway.
“We will always support airport expansion as long as it grows our economy and adheres to our environmental commitments,” British Transport Secretary Louise Haig said at a press conference on the same day.
The debate over whether to build a third runway at Europe’s busiest airport has been ongoing for nearly 20 years, with plans undergoing numerous government and legal reviews and public consultations. It’s here.
Environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth are fiercely opposed to Heathrow’s expansion, saying it would increase greenhouse gas emissions and harm local wildlife. Others argue that it will increase noise pollution and traffic in busy residential areas and require major public disruption, including major works on the M25, the main road around London.
In 2020, the UK Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that the previous government’s approval of a third runway was illegal because it did not take into account the country’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.
The expansion of Heathrow Airport will be welcomed by many airlines. Airlines have long complained about intense competition and the high cost of buying slots at transportation hubs.
Heathrow Airport’s passenger numbers soared from 62 million in 2022 to 79 million in 2023 as the pandemic-induced travel recovery continues. The company had 80.9 million passengers in 2019.
Under the airport expansion plan announced six years ago and scheduled to be updated, the project would see the construction of a third runway northwest of the current two runways and the construction of a new terminal building to replace the existing Terminal 3. Construction is planned.
The airline’s operations are currently limited to 480,000 flights a year, but current plans would add an additional 260,000 flights to this figure.
