Heathrow Airport expansion: Commission report backs third runway

After decades of dithering about extra aviation capacity in South-east England, a third runway is needed at Heathrow: that is the conclusion of the Airports Commission set up by the Prime Minister.

But with fierce opposition to the scheme both inside and outside the Government, the door has been left open for a second runway at Gatwick instead.
Sir Howard Davies and the four other members of Airports Commission unanimously concluded that Heathrow’s proposal for an additional runway north-west of the existing pair is the best way to tackle the crunch in capacity for the world’s leading aviation city. It would cost £17.6bn and involve the demolition of 800 homes.


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In 2012, the Commission was tasked by David Cameron to find the best way to relieve the shortage of slots at Heathrow and Gatwick - respectively the busiest two-runway and single-runway airports in the world.
 Artist's impression of plans for Gatwick Airport's expansion
During its three-year, £20m investigation, the Commission rejected dozens of schemes, including Boris Johnson’s plan for a new hub in the Thames Estuary. It shortlisted three options: a second runway at Gatwick, a third at Heathrow, and a radical proposal known as “Heathrow Hub” that would extend the existing northern runway to allow simultaneous take-offs and landings.
A third runway at Heathrow would “offer the greatest strategic and economic benefits,” said the Commission in its 342-page final report. It estimates the new runway would create 70,000 more jobs and offer flights to 40 destinations currently unserved from Heathrow - including “a widespread network” of links to UK airports.
 27 April 2013: The Mayor of London Boris Johnson signs a giant petition at a rally in Barnes against the expansion of Heathrow Airport. Hundreds of people gathered for the event (PA)

Crucially, Sir Howard believes up to a dozen new intercontinental routes could be created. He said: “Heathrow is best placed to provide the type of capacity which is most urgently required: long-haul destinations to new markets. It provides the greatest benefits for business passengers, freight operators and the broader economy.”
 There have been protests against expansion
The Commission also expects expansion to open up Heathrow to low-cost airlines. At present, Europe’s two giant budget carriers, Ryanair and easyJet, do not serve Heathrow; easyJet, whose main base is at Gatwick, already has plans for operating as many as 200 flights a day to and from Heathrow, including to airports with no current links - such as Inverness, the Isle of Man and Jersey.
At present only seven UK regional airports have routes to Heathrow, while 23 British airports are connected to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
The third-runway recommendation is dependent upon a tough package of environmental measures. The hours of operation would be reduced, with no arrivals allowed before 6am. Currently, the first scheduled flight, a British Airways A380 from Hong Kong, touches down shortly after 4.30am. “We think those are the flights that are particularly annoying to local residents,” said Sir Howard.
 Squatters have taken over an area of land in Sipson to create a market garden and emphasise the potential climate change consequences of Heathrow’s expansion
Legally binding commitments on air quality and noise would be imposed, with an independent “noise authority” policing flight paths and procedures. Passengers will contribute directly to fund insulation through an aviation noise levy.
The Government should also rule out any further expansion, with the Commission finding “no sound operational or environmental case for a fourth runway at Heathrow”.
Sir Howard urged the Government to “move as quickly as it can” to a decision. He warned that, without action, “The entire London [airport]system will be full by 2040.
“Further delay will be increasingly costly and will be seen, nationally and internationally, as a sign that the UK is unwilling or unable to take these steps needed to maintain its position as a well-connected, open trading economy in the 21st century.”
The verdict has delighted the airport’s owner, Heathrow Airport Holdings. Its economic case for a new runway been found to be much stronger than Gatwick’s, and its “official” proposal has been chosen ahead of the Heathrow Hub extended runway.

Heathrow’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, said: “This debate has never been about a runway, it’s been about the future we want for Britain. Expanding Heathrow will keep Britain as one of the world’s great trading nations, right at the heart of the global economy.
“We will create the world’s best connected, most efficient and most environmentally responsible hub airport at the heart of an integrated transport system.”
But there is no certainty that the runway will ever get built. The Commission has chosen the option with the greatest environmental impact, and the report is expected to face a range of judicial challenges. In addition, even though the Government set up the Commission, it has no obligation to follow its recommendation.
 A record 5.95 million passengers used Heathrow in March, up 3.4 per cent on the same month last year
Such is the sensitivity of Heathrow expansion among leading Tories that the 2015 Conservative Manifesto merely promised to “respond” to the Commission’s report.
The Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said: “As a nation we must be ambitious and forward looking. This is a once in a generation opportunity to answer a vital question. I will make a statement to Parliament later today in which I will set out the process for that decision to be made.”


The London Mayor, Boris Johnson - who is also MP for Uxbridge, adjacent to Heathrow - regards expansion as “undeliverable”. He has vowed to “fight to the last ditch” against a third runway.
John Stewart, chair of the anti-expansion group, HACAN, said “big beasts” in the Cabinet would veto a third runway.
Sir Howard is well aware of the political sensitivity of a third runway at Heathrow. He said the Gatwick scheme would deliver “valuable economic and employment benefits,” with additional capacity focused on European routes. And the Commission accepts that the noise impact at the Sussex airport would be much less significant than for Heathrow.
Gatwick’s chief executive, Stewart Wingate said: “Gatwick is still very much in the race. The Commission’s report makes clear that expansion at Gatwick is deliverable.
“We are confident that when the Government makes that decision they will choose Gatwick as the only deliverable option.”