Heathrow puts Jansen on runway as next chairman

The erstwhile BT Group main Philip Jansen is being lined up arsenic the adjacent president of Heathrow Airport arsenic Britain's biggest aviation hub prepares to present an enlargement costing adjacent to £50bn.

Sky News has learnt that Mr Jansen, who chairs the FTSE-100 selling services radical WPP, is successful precocious talks with Heathrow's committee and shareholders astir taking connected the role.

If the discussions scope a palmy conclusion, sources said an announcement could travel wrong weeks.

Mr Jansen is said to person emerged arsenic the frontrunner from a shortlist of candidates compiled by headhunters astatine Russell Reynolds Associates.

His acquisition arsenic the brag of BT, a regulated utility, is said to person been cardinal to his enactment arsenic the preferred candidate.

Mr Jansen has besides tally companies including MyTravel and Worldpay.

The assignment of a successor to Lord Deighton, who has held the station for 9 years, comes astatine a captious clip for Heathrow.

In August, the airdrome submitted a revised enlargement program consisting of a 3rd runway costing £21bn, £12bn for a caller terminal and basal capacity, and £15bn to modernise the existent airdrome done the enlargement of Terminal 2.

The existing Terminal 3 would yet beryllium closed.

Heathrow handled a grounds 83.9 cardinal passengers and is adamant that a 3rd runway is indispensable to the maturation of Britain's system fixed the measurement of exports which walk done the site.

"It has ne'er been much important oregon urgent to grow Heathrow," the airport's main executive, Thomas Woldbye, said successful August.

"We are efficaciously operating astatine capableness to the detriment of commercialized and connectivity.

"With a greenish airy from Government and the close argumentation enactment underpinned by a acceptable for intent regulatory model, we are acceptable to mobilise and commencement investing this twelvemonth successful our proviso concatenation crossed the country.

"We are uniquely placed to bash this for the country; it is clip to wide the mode for take-off."

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The enlargement remains opposed by galore airlines alarmed by the prospective summation successful charges to usage the airport, arsenic well

It has, however, been backed by the government, with Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, saying that a 3rd runway "ould unlock further growth, boost investment, summation exports, and marque the UK much unfastened and much connected arsenic portion of our Plan for Change".

Heathrow's adjacent president volition pb a committee dominated by representatives of the airport's main shareholders.

Mr Woldbye apologised successful May for being dormant during the powerfulness outage successful March which forced Heathrow's impermanent closure.

The airdrome said it would instrumentality the recommendations of a reappraisal conducted by erstwhile transport caput Ruth Kelly.

Heathrow's hunt for a caller president comes months aft the astir important changes to its ownership operation successful years.

Ardian, a French concern group, present owns 32.6% of the institution pursuing a bid of transactions implicit the past 12 months.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has besides go an investor.

Heathrow has ne'er formally announced Lord Deighton's volition to measurement down, different than a disclosure successful its yearly study successful which helium wrote:

"In airy of the caller changes to the HAHL [Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited] board…the nominations committee…has asked maine to widen my assignment for a constricted play to assistance guarantee a creaseless modulation whilst caller non-executive shareholder directors go acquainted with the concern and a caller seat is appointed.

"I person truthful agreed to widen my relation arsenic seat for a constricted play to guarantee continuity and stableness connected the HAHL Board during this play of transition."

A Heathrow spokesperson declined to comment, portion Mr Jansen could not beryllium reached for comment.