Image copyright Getty Images
MPs have backed controversial plans to build a third runway at London's Heathrow airport.
The government won a key vote in the Commons by 415 votes to 119 - a majority of 296.
Tory MPs were under orders to support the government - but Boris Johnson, a leading opponent of expansion, missed the vote because he was in Afghanistan.
Labour's official position was to oppose expansion, but its MPs were given a free vote. The SNP abstained.
The vote was welcomed by business group the CBI as "a truly historic decision that will open the doors to a new era in the UK's global trading relationships".
But Greenpeace UK said it was ready to join a cross-party group of London councils and the city's mayor, Sadiq Khan, in a legal challenge against the third runway.
And Friends of the Earth said in a statement: "MPs who backed this climate-wrecking new runway will be harshly judged by history.
"The evidence on the accelerating climate crisis, which is already hitting the world's most vulnerable people, is overwhelming - and expanding Heathrow will only intensify the misery."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption John McDonnell makes an impassioned plea to halt Heathrow expansion
Environmental activists earlier staged a "lie-in" over Heathrow in Parliament's central lobby, just metres away from MPs preparing to vote on the proposals.
Police locked-down the area after 12 protesters, who described themselves as from a "pop-up" Vote No Heathrow campaign, sprawled across the floor chanting.
The government has pledged the airport will be built at no cost to the taxpayer, will create 100,000 jobs and will benefit the entire country, through guaranteed internal flights to the rest of the UK.
Ministers also insist the project will have built-in environmental protections, with the ability to fine Heathrow or ground aircraft if promises on night flights and other contentious issues are broken.
Eight Conservative MPs voted against the government, including former cabinet ministers Justine Greening and Theresa Villiers, Greg Hands - who resigned last week as international trade minister - and Adam Afriyie, Sir David Amess, Bob Blackman, Zak Goldsmith and Matthew Offord.
More Labour MPs supported the government than backed their leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had opposed the expansion.
The development was supported by 119 Labour MPs, while 96 voted against the move.
MPs from across the political spectrum, some with constituencies on the Heathrow flight path, spoke out against the plan.
At the start of a four-hour debate, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said Heathrow was "full" and a new runway was needed to secure "a clear path to our future as a global nation in the post-Brexit world."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Greg Hands: 'I made an unequivocal pledge' on Heathrow
But in an impassioned speech, Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell warned that villages that had existed for 1,000 years would be "wiped off the face of the earth" to enable a company to maximise its profits.
"There are human costs to this decision that this House needs to recognise and contemplate before they vote tonight to worry and blight my community once again on a programme that will never - pardon the pun - take off," he told MPs.
Opposition MPs shouted "Where's Boris?" as a Conservative MP who resigned from government over Heathrow expansion urged colleagues to join him in opposing a third runway.
Former International trade minister Greg Hands, who represents Chelsea and Fulham, raised concerns about air quality and night flights but said it was a "debate about being true to your word and to your election pledges".
Mr Johnson said following Mr Hands' example and quitting the government to vote against Heathrow would "achieve absolutely nothing," before departing on a trip to Afghanistan.
Image copyright Getty Images
MPs have backed controversial plans to build a third runway at London's Heathrow airport.
The government won a key vote in the Commons by 415 votes to 119 - a majority of 296.
Tory MPs were under orders to support the government - but Boris Johnson, a leading opponent of expansion, missed the vote because he was in Afghanistan.
Labour's official position was to oppose expansion, but its MPs were given a free vote. The SNP abstained.
The vote was welcomed by business group the CBI as "a truly historic decision that will open the doors to a new era in the UK's global trading relationships".
But Greenpeace UK said it was ready to join a cross-party group of London councils and the city's mayor, Sadiq Khan, in a legal challenge against the third runway.
And Friends of the Earth said in a statement: "MPs who backed this climate-wrecking new runway will be harshly judged by history.
"The evidence on the accelerating climate crisis, which is already hitting the world's most vulnerable people, is overwhelming - and expanding Heathrow will only intensify the misery."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption John McDonnell makes an impassioned plea to halt Heathrow expansion
Environmental activists earlier staged a "lie-in" over Heathrow in Parliament's central lobby, just metres away from MPs preparing to vote on the proposals.
Police locked-down the area after 12 protesters, who described themselves as from a "pop-up" Vote No Heathrow campaign, sprawled across the floor chanting.
The government has pledged the airport will be built at no cost to the taxpayer, will create 100,000 jobs and will benefit the entire country, through guaranteed internal flights to the rest of the UK.
Image caption Boris Johnson, who has returned from a trip to Afghanistan, was criticised for missing the vote
Ministers also insist the project will have built-in environmental protections, with the ability to fine Heathrow or ground aircraft if promises on night flights and other contentious issues are broken.
Eight Conservative MPs voted against the government, including former cabinet ministers Justine Greening and Theresa Villiers, Greg Hands - who resigned last week as international trade minister - and Adam Afriyie, Sir David Amess, Bob Blackman, Zak Goldsmith and Matthew Offord.
More Labour MPs supported the government than backed their leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had opposed the expansion.
The development was supported by 119 Labour MPs, while 96 voted against the move. Details of how each MP voted are on Parliament's website.
MPs from across the political spectrum, some with constituencies on the Heathrow flight path, spoke out against the plan.
At the start of a four-hour debate, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said Heathrow was "full" and a new runway was needed to secure "a clear path to our future as a global nation in the post-Brexit world."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Greg Hands: 'I made an unequivocal pledge' on Heathrow
But in an impassioned speech, Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell warned that villages that had existed for 1,000 years would be "wiped off the face of the earth" to enable a company to maximise its profits.
"There are human costs to this decision that this House needs to recognise and contemplate before they vote tonight to worry and blight my community once again on a programme that will never - pardon the pun - take off," he told MPs.
Opposition MPs shouted "Where's Boris?" as a Conservative MP who resigned from government over Heathrow expansion urged colleagues to join him in opposing a third runway.
Former International trade minister Greg Hands, who represents Chelsea and Fulham, raised concerns about air quality and night flights but said it was a "debate about being true to your word and to your election pledges".
Mr Johnson said following Mr Hands' example and quitting the government to vote against Heathrow would "achieve absolutely nothing," before departing on a trip to Afghanistan.
(CNN) — A century after it opened as a simple grass runway in a village west of London, Heathrow could be transformed into the world's biggest airport following a controversial decision by British lawmakers.
Construction of a third runway -- one which would extend over the country's busiest freeway -- was approved in a parliamentary vote that followed decades of debate over how to expand the UK's capacity for air traffic.
Under the proposal, passenger capacity at Heathrow could jump from nearly 80 million passengers per year to 110 million by 2030, making it, by current statistics, the world's biggest in terms of traffic.
As well as boosting Heathrow's status as an aviation hub and making it easier for visitors to explore the UK, it's hoped the move will counter any economic fallout from the country's "Brexit" from the European Union.
But the strong resistance to Heathrow's expansion is likely to continue beyond the vote.
Pressure groups have long claimed that increasing the airport's size and bringing in more air traffic over a heavily populated area will adversely impact those living nearby and irreparably hurt the environment. Hundreds of homes would be destroyed to facilitate the expansion.
Resisting the bulldozers
l e v a r t
One senior member of the opposition Labour party said his party would halt expansion if it came into power, the BBC reported. John McDonnell was quoted saying a bigger Heathrow would be a " threat to the planet ."
Vocal opponent Boris Johnson -- the UK's foreign minister, who once said he would "lie down in front of the bulldozers" to stop a third runway being built -- missed Monday's parliamentary vote because he was out of the country.
His absence spared him the dilemma having to obey or defy an order by his boss, Prime Minister Theresa May, directing all ruling Conservative party lawmakers to approve the runway. The expansion plans were approved by a massive majority.
If construction work to expand Heathrow does go ahead, the £14.3 billion ($20 billion) plan is to build a third runway northwest of and parallel to the existing two east-west strips.
The new airstrip would cross over the M25 motorway, London's busy and regularly congested outer ring road. About 750 homes in the villages of Longford, Sipson and Harmondsworth could be flattened to make way.
Rival runways
l e v a r t
Some campaigners have unsuccessfully tried to make the case for developing some of Heathrow's rival airports. London is served by five main aviation facilities: Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and City.
Johnson, a former mayor of London, favored the construction of an artificial island in the Thames river estuary, east of London, to host an all-new airport. Critics said "Boris Island" was unviable.
Without expansion, government officials say London's airports will reach capacity by 2034.
Related content The world's most extreme airports
Heathrow is currently the world's seventh busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers, with 78 million in 2017.
Top of the list is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta with 104 million, followed by Beijing Capital with 96 million, Dubai with 88 million, Tokyo Haneda with 85 million, Los Angeles with 84.6 million and Chicago O'Hare with 80 million.
The government’s choice of a third runway at Heathrow has been backed by parliament.Travel correspondent Simon Calder explains the plan, the potential and the problems.
What’s the background?
Fifteen years ago, the-then transport secretary, Alistair Darling told me “Doing nothing about airport capacity is not an option”. Yet were there a World Cup for the sport of kicking the can down the road, the UK would win it for keeps.
Even though no new full-length runway has been built in southeast England since the Second World War, London has grown to become world capital of aviation. But Heathrow and Gatwick are already operating at way beyond their design capacity.
“With very limited capability at London’s major airports,” says the government, “London is beginning to find that new routes to important long-haul destinations are being set up elsewhere in Europe. This is having an adverse impact on the UK economy, and affecting the country’s global competitiveness.”
MPs voted by 415 to 119 – a majority of 296, and a ratio of 3.5 to 1 - to approve the government’s chosen scheme, contained in the Airports National Policy Statement. It prescribes the construction of a new runway at Heathrow, northwest of the existing pair of runways.
The Davies Commission on airport expansion chose the third runway ahead of two other shortlisted options: an extended northern runway at Heathrow, known as the “Heathrow Hub” project, and a second runway at Gatwick.
The third runway will allow an increase from the current 480,000 takeoffs and landings each year to around 740,000 – an increase of 54 per cent.
In terms of passenger numbers, a third runway could increase capacity to 130 million, two-thirds more than the 78 million who passed through Heathrow last year.
The Department for Transport says the expansion will bring more jobs and greater economic growth along with more flights: “A new runway at Heathrow would provide benefits of up to £74bn to passengers and the wider economy and create tens of thousands of local jobs.
“It will better connect the UK to the rest of world with an extra 16 million long-haul seats available by 2040.”
The TUC concurs. The general secretary, Frances O’Grady says: “The case for Heathrow expansion was proven long ago. It will create thousands of high-quality jobs and apprenticeships. And it has the backing of airlines and many other businesses.
What will it cost?
Heathrow says its scheme will cost around £14bn, which is £2.5bn less than originally proposed. The savings could be made by abandoning plans to build a new Terminal 6, and instead expanding Terminals 2 and 5. But in the absence of a master plan, nobody quite knows.
Meanwhile the leading local businessman and property owner, Surinder Arora, has come up with alternative plans which, he claims, will “deliver significant cost savings and break the current monopoly, which overcharges airlines and passengers.”
What about the transport infrastructure?
The government says that local road improvements will be paid for by Heathrow as part of the £14bn project. But in order for some environmental targets to be met, many more travellers – and staff – will need to travel to and from Heathrow by public transport.
There is controversy over how improved access by rail will be funded, as well as the cost of tunnelling beneath the M25. The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, tweeted: “Approval of Heathrow effectively commits an extra £16 billion of transport spending to London & South-East.
The government points out that some enhancements, notably the new Crossrail line and an improved Tube service, are already under way and funded, and that a southern rail link to Heathrow is a private sector project.
But the shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, said in the Commons debate that there is no certainty about the total surface infrastructure bill related to the third runway, nor how it will be apportioned. “Labour has concluded that, in fact, the Heathrow third runway is not deliverable,” he said.
Yet in a free vote, a majority of Labour MPs voted in favour of expansion and against the views of the party’s leadership.
How much disruption will the construction involve?
As the construction of the new terminal Terminal 2 right in the middle of Europe’s busiest airport showed, Heathrow can manage large-scale building very effectively while operations continue normally.
Bigger concerns are likely to involve disruption to the M25: the stretch of motorway between Heathrow Terminal 5 and the M4 junction, which is where the runway would be built, is one of the busiest in Europe. It is thought a 14-lane, 600m-long tunnel would be built first, before the existing M25 is diverted.
When would a third runway open?
In 2026 if all goes well with the project, says Heathrow.
In terms of new flights, what happens until then?
There is very little capacity at Heathrow. Mr The airport’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, says: “With the airport now running at 98 per cent capacity, there is no room for growth and the UK faces losing valuable opportunities to other countries.”
Heathrow will continue to increase passenger numbers, largely through airlines deploying larger aircraft. Gatwick continues to defy the apparent capacity limits of a single runway, and announced on the day of the vote new flights to Florida. Stansted has plenty of space for expansion, and once Luton’s current development is completed it will also have room to grow. Meanwhile plucky Southend is also expanding rapidly.
Does all the new capacity open with a “big bang”?
No. It is likely that, once the runway opens, “blocks” of capacity will be added at a rate of five to 10 million at a time. If the runway opens at the start of the winter season in October 2026, and the airport is handling 85 million passengers annually at the time, it could increase to 95 million by the following October. That would represent a fairly cautious growth of 11 per cent.
Another 10 per cent could happen the following year, with the number gradually tapering off as capacity is reached.
How will the slots be allocated?
When significant new capacity is added at an airport, according to European Union rules half the new slots go to existing holders, and half to new entrants.
The existing holders are offered slots in proportion to their current holdings. At present, British Airways has half the slots at Heathrow. It would therefore get 25 per cent of the new slots, gradually diluting its proportion of the total.
Of course, since the UK will not be in the European Union by the time the runway opens, it may be that another system could be used.
What new routes will we get?
Who knows? The government and Heathrow have made much of the ability to grow the route network to more cities in China. But after British Airways launched flights to Chengdu in western China, it soon abandoned the route as unprofitable.
Relative to the rest of the world, Africa and Latin America are under-served from Heathrow, but airlines will ultimately decide.
What about domestic flights – is there much demand for Heathrow connections?
Yes. Compared with France, Germany, Spain and Italy, Heathrow has very few domestic services, with just eight UK routes. Amsterdam, Dublin and Paris each have far more connections from provincial British cities than does Heathrow.
Airports which used to have connections with Heathrow – including Newquay, Durham Tees Valley and Prestwick – want those links restored.
In comparable countries, important national and regional cities of the scale and status of Cardiff, Liverpool and Norwich would have connections with the nation’s main airport.
Even though the distances of those cities are only 125, 163 and 111 miles respectively from Heathrow as the Airbus flies, business travellers in particular are accustomed to the idea of having many domestic links from the main aviation hub.
Which UK links are guaranteed?
None. While regional UK airports and politicians may have gained the impression that 15 per cent of slots at Heathrow would be “ringfenced” for domestic connections, the National Policy Statement concedes: “Air routes are in the first instance a commercial decision for airlines and are not in the gift of an airport operator.”
UK news in pictures 50 show all UK news in pictures 1/50 25 June 2018 Planes land at Heathrow airport ahead of a vote in parliament which will decide whether or not Heathrow airport should have a third runway. MPs have been urged to put aside party politics and approve a third runway, a vote likely to expose high-profile divisions in both Conservative and Labour ranks. PA 2/50 24 June 2018 Harry Kane celebrates scoring his second goal and England's fifth with teammates during their World Cup group game against Panama. England won 6-1. EPA 3/50 23 June 2018 Demonstrators at the People's March demanding a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in London, on the second anniversary of the 2016 referendum. AFP/Getty Images 4/50 22 June 2018 Andria Marsh, 63, holds up photographs of her parents and her original British passport, following a Windrush service at Westminster Abbey in London. 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AFP/Getty Images 1/50 25 June 2018 Planes land at Heathrow airport ahead of a vote in parliament which will decide whether or not Heathrow airport should have a third runway. MPs have been urged to put aside party politics and approve a third runway, a vote likely to expose high-profile divisions in both Conservative and Labour ranks. PA 2/50 24 June 2018 Harry Kane celebrates scoring his second goal and England's fifth with teammates during their World Cup group game against Panama. England won 6-1. EPA 3/50 23 June 2018 Demonstrators at the People's March demanding a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in London, on the second anniversary of the 2016 referendum. AFP/Getty Images 4/50 22 June 2018 Andria Marsh, 63, holds up photographs of her parents and her original British passport, following a Windrush service at Westminster Abbey in London. A service was held at the Abbey to commemorate the arrival to Britain of Caribbean migrants on the ship, Empire Windrush, 70 years ago. The migrants were recruited to rebuild post-war Britain. EPA 5/50 21 June 2018 Revellers watch the sunrise as they celebrate the pagan festival of Summer Solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire. The festival, which dates back thousands of years, celebrates the longest day of the year when the sun is at its maximum elevation. Modern druids and people gather at the landmark Stonehenge every year to see the sun rise on the first morning of summer. AFP/Getty 6/50 20 June 2018 Family members of those who died in Gosport War Memorial Hospital gather today after a public inquiry found that up to 650 patients died between 1989 and 2000 from lethal doses of opiate medication that was delivered “without medical justification” PA 7/50 19 June 2018 Former TV presenter John Leslie leaves Edinburgh Sheriff Court, he is accused of putting his hand down a woman's trousers as they danced at her hen night. PA 8/50 18 June 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May finishes speaking following visiting patients at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Ms May announced a new package of £20 Billion worth of funding for the NHS. Getty 9/50 17 June 2018 Competitors begin the race after a rolling start during round two of the 2018 Championship, the F1H2O UIM Powerboat World Championship Grand Prix of London, at the Royal Victoria Docks. Getty 10/50 16 June 2018 Fire fighters attend the scene of a second fire at Glasgow's School of Art four years after part of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed building was destroyed by fire. The blaze spread to nearby buildings including the Campus nightclub and O2 ABC music venue Christopher Flyvbjerg / SWNS.com 11/50 15 June 2018 Dean of Westminster, John Hall, accompanied by first wife Jane Hawking, watches as daughter Lucy Hawking, places flowers at the site of the internment of the ashes of Stephen Hawking in the nave Westminster Abbey. The world renowned physicist and author of A Brief History of Time, died early in the morning of 14 March 2018, at the age of 76. Professor Hawking's ashes will be laid to rest close to Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Getty Images 12/50 14 June 2018 British singer Robbie Williams performs during the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. REUTERS 13/50 13 June 2018 Prince Charles uses a power drill during a visit to the Owenkillew Community Centre in Gortin, as part of his tour of Northern Ireland. Getty 14/50 12 June 2018 England manager Gareth Southgate, his players and coaching staff pose for the official England squad photo ahead of traveling to the World Cup in Russia. The FA 15/50 11 June 2018 Play was suspended during the match between Lancashire and Essex as an Air Ambulance landed on the pitch after one of the spectators was taken ill on day three of the Specsavers County Championship, Division One match at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester. PA 16/50 10 June 2018 Marchers hold up banners as they gather to mark 100 years since women won the right to vote in the UK. Getty 17/50 9 June 2018 The parade makes its way up The Mall from Horse Guards Parade to Buckingham Palace, central London, following the Trooping the Colour ceremony, as the Queen celebrates her official birthday. PA 18/50 8 June 2018 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the G7 Leaders Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec. Rex Features 19/50 7 June 2018 Brexit Secretary David Davis, right, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox leave 10 Downing Street. 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Flouting Northern Irish governmental laws which forbid the use of abortion pills the group are also protesting outside offices belonging to the main political parties in the province. Women in Northern Ireland have been prosecuted for buying abortion pills over the internet and it is illegal for a woman to have an abortion unless in special circumstances unlike the rest of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland voted in favour of pro-choice last week in a referendum. Getty 27/50 30 May 2018 West Midlands Police officers carrying out scene searches near to where a 15-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Wolverhampton. PA 28/50 29 May 2018 A view at Westminster Abbey from the medieval Triforium that is hosting an exhibition in London. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, set more than 16 meters, (52 feet) above the Abbey floor in the medieval Triforium, will open to the public for the first time on June 11, displaying over 300 treasures from the Abbey's collection which will tell the rich thousand-year history of the institution at Westminster Abbey. AP 29/50 28 May 2018 People enjoy the hot weather on Bournemouth Beach during bank holiday Monday in Dorset. PA 30/50 27 May 2018 Chris Ashton of the Barbarians scores against England at Twickenham. Getty 31/50 26 May 2018 Lightning strikes over the city of London. Reuters 32/50 25 May 2018 Rory Mcilroy took the clubhouse lead in to round three of the BMW PGA championship at Wentworth. Action Images via Reuters 33/50 24 May 2018 Alastair Cook batting against Pakistan during the first test match of the summer at Lord’s cricket ground, London. Getty 34/50 23 May 2018 Home Secretary Sajid Javid speaking at the annual conference of the Police Federation of England and Wales at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. PA 35/50 22 May 2018 Felix, two,sits next to messages and flowers left in Manchester, ahead of the Manchester Arena National Service of Commemoration at Manchester Cathedral to mark one year since the Manchester attack. PA 36/50 21 May 2018 Marcio and Andreia Gomes, parents of Logan Gomes, arrive for a commemoration hearing at the opening of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster, in London. Reuters 37/50 20 May 2018 Brackley Town celebrate after winning The Buildbase FA Trophy Final after they beat Bromley on penalties at Wembley Stadium. Getty 38/50 19 May 2018 Actress, Meghan Markle, reaches Prince Harry at the altar in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for their wedding service. Getty 39/50 18 May 2018 Workers from the Covent Garden branch of TGI Fridays on a picket line outside the restaurant as they strike in a dispute over pay. Members of Unite are taking action on Friday in a row over tips and payment of the minimum wage. PA 40/50 17 May 2018 A police officer talks to a homeless man in Windsor ahead of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. PA 41/50 16 May 2018 Wing Commander John Butcher, Commanding Officer of 617 Squadron, left, jokes with Britain's last surviving 'Dambuster', Squadron Leader George "Johnny" Johnson, during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the 'Dambusters' raids, at RAF Coningsby. The Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was hoping to fly one of the two remaining Avro Lancaster bombers over the Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs, but high winds prevented the aircraft from taking off. 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the formation of the RAF and the 75th anniversary of the 617 Squadron Dambusters operation. The Dambuster raids, or ''peration Chastise' was an attack on German dams on 16-17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, using an innovative 'bouncing bomb', which skimmed on the surface of the reservoir before hitting the dam wall and exploding. Getty 42/50 15 May 2018 President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks as British Prime Minister Theresa May listens during a press conference after their meeting at 10 Downing Street. Erdogan is in the UK for a three-day visit, which includes a closing lecture at the Tatlidil Forum in Oxford, an audience with The Queen and talks with Theresa May. Getty 43/50 14 May 2018 The funeral cortege of Alfie Evans goes past Everton's Goodison Park ground in Liverpool. Doctors at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool stopped providing life-support treatment to Alfie last month after his parents, Tom Evans and Kate James, lost two rounds of fights in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights. 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The Department for Transport says it is determined that new routes will be secured, and the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, has said he will use the “Public Service Obligation” (PSO) mechanism to ensure it; this allows some routes to be specified by national governments on social and economic grounds. Labour says this approach will not work.
The government says it will “hold Heathrow Airport to account” on the subject; though the “15 per cent” turns out to be ”up to 15 per cent”.
In 2016, the chief executive of IAG – British Airways’ parent company – said there was “zero chance” of BA operating flights to Liverpool and Newquay. Willie Walsh said: “We’re not interested in these artificial routes. We’ll go where there’s demand. The aspirations people have on domestic links are very difficult to understand.”
Will budget airlines get a look in?
Yes: easyJet has lobbied intensively for several years for expansion at Heathrow. The airline, which is the UK’s biggest budget carrier, has promised more routes and lower fares: “Passengers would benefit from the increased competition to legacy carriers and would enjoy fares around 30 per cent lower on routes to existing UK and European destinations.
“The new entrants would also launch flights to UK and European airports not currently served by Heathrow providing important economic connections to the UK’s only hub airport.”
What will happen to existing air fares?
In principle, increased competition – in particular against British Airways, which currently has half the capacity at Heathrow – should mean lower fares. But there is no certainty about what might happen to passenger charges.
At present, the airlines say that Heathrow has the highest charges of any airport in the world. On a £43 British Airways flight from Heathrow to Amsterdam, about half the cost is the airport’s passenger charge (and a further 30 per cent is Air Passenger Duty).
The airlines, led by British Airways’ parent company, IAG, are demanding there is no increase in charges. Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, said: “Parliament has approved Heathrow’s expansion without any idea on how much it will cost. We have zero confidence in Heathrow’s management’s ability to deliver this project while keeping airport charges flat.
“It’s only a matter of time before we start hearing excuses for massive cost escalation on the exorbitant estimated cost of the project. These excuses will be followed by a change of leadership at Heathrow, who will then distance themselves from the promises and commitments that have been given.”
Mr Holland-Kaye says fees will be held “close to current charges”.
Will there be an end to “stacking”?
At present many of the 650-plus daily flight arrivals at Heathrow spend time in holding patterns over the Home Counties, to allow controllers at the world’s busiest two-runway airport to sequence touchdowns and maximise capacity.
When the third runway first opens, there should be an immediate reduction in the amount of stacking, as well as delays on the ground waiting to take off. That advantage is likely to erode as the amount of activity increases – though there may simulaneously be improvements to international air-navigation procedures which mitigate the problem.
Will queues for passport control be even worse?
The sporadic, short-term surges in waiting times at the UK Border are unrelated to expansion; it is presumed that appropriate staffing and technology will be deployed to avoid long queues becoming a chronic problem.
How much property would be destroyed?
Around 800 householders would lose their homes. What the transport secretary calls “a world-leading package of compensation” will see them being paid 125 per cent of the value of their homes.
In addition, a large amount of existing commercial real estate would be flattened.
Who is objecting to a third runway, and why?
Opposition is in four broad camps, with considerable overlap between them.
1 Local residents who will either seen their homes demolished or be living uncomfortably close to the third runway when it is built.
2 Proponents of alternative schemes for increased airport capacity.
3 Environmentalists concerned about the global effect of carbon emissions associated with expanded air travel.
4 People living in west and southwest London who will be affected by additional noise and pollution.
What are the noise and pollution issues?
Many more people would be affected by airport noise when a third runway opens. In addition, the extra passenger journeys will generate more road traffic.
The London Boroughs of Hillingdon, Richmond, Wandsworth and Hammersmith & Fulham, backed up by the Mayor of London, are seeking a judicial review of the process of deciding on a third runway at Heathrow. “It cannot survive independent, lawful and rational scrutiny,” says councillor Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council.
“Heathrow already makes life intolerable for people of all sides of the airport. The government should be reducing noise for the communities affected but instead it is making it worse.”
Councillor Gareth Roberts, leader of Richmond Council, says: “The government has still offered no evidence showing how air quality obligations can be achieved. We will fight this proposal through the courts and we will win because the alternative is to condemn thousands of people to premature deaths from dangerous levels of air pollution.”
They say they will refer the matter to the High Court as soon as possible. “We will, now that Parliament has failed us, do all that we can to bring this sorry saga to an end once and for all’’, says Councillor Roberts.
Can’t flights simply be moved to airports outside southeast England?
No. While Manchester is expanding fast, and is now in the top 20 of European airports, very limited success has been found with encouraging travellers to use Birmingham airport — even though it is barely an hour by train from London. While the government formerly mandated where airlines could fly, for example by insisting on new entrants going to Heathrow, those days have long gone.
Could the “losing” options for expansion get a second chance?
Possibly. Jock Lowe, who came up with the Heathrow Hub concept to extend Heathrow’s existing northern runway, has indicated that he will ask for a judicial review on the grounds that his scheme was not properly evaluated against the airport’s own scheme. He says his plan ”delivers the same benefits but is cheaper, simpler, quieter and quicker to build”.
He also says it can be built in phases, allowing regulators to halt expansion if environmental targets such as noise and air quality are threatened.
Meanwhile Gatwick has let it be known that it is standing ready to build a second runway at lower cost and with less damage than Heathrow’s third runway.
What is your view on the likelihood for each outcome?
Heathrow goes ahead as planned – 50 per cent
Heathrow Hub is adopted instead – 20 per cent
Heathrow expansion is cancelled and Gatwick gets the nod instead – 20 per cent
The “Boris Island” plan for a new Thames Estuary airport comes back into fashion 0.001 per cent
Nothing happens for another decade – 9.999 per cent
