Heathrow submits plans for third runway - and says it can be built within a decade

Heathrow Airport has said it tin physique a 3rd runway for £21bn wrong the adjacent decade.

Europe's busiest question hub has submitted its plans to the authorities - with opponents raising concerns astir c emissions, sound contamination and biology impacts.

The westbound London airdrome wants support to make a 3,500m (11,400ft) runway, but insists it is unfastened to considering a shorter 1 instead.

In January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the authorities supports a "badly needed" expansion to link the UK to the satellite and unfastened up caller maturation opportunities.

But London politician Sir Sadiq Khan is inactive against a caller runway due to the fact that of "the terrible impact" it volition person connected the capital's residents.

Under Heathrow's proposal, the runway would beryllium constructed to the northwest of its existing determination - allowing for an further 276,000 flights per year.

The airdrome besides wants to make caller terminal capableness for 150 cardinal yearly passengers - up from 84 cardinal - with plans involving a caller terminal analyzable named T5XW and T5XN.

Terminal 2 would beryllium extended, portion Terminal 3 and the aged Terminal 1 would beryllium demolished.

The runway would beryllium privately funded, with the full program costing astir £49bn, but immoderate airlines person expressed interest that the airdrome volition hike its rider charges to wage for the project.

EasyJet main enforcement Kenton Jarvis said an enlargement would "represent a unsocial accidental for easyJet to run from the airdrome astatine standard for the archetypal clip and bring with it little fares for consumers".

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

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

"With a greenish airy from authorities and the close argumentation enactment underpinned by a fit-for-purpose, 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."

The M25 motorway would request to beryllium moved into a passageway nether the caller runway nether the airport's proposal.

London politician inactive opposed

Sir Sadiq says City Hall volition "carefully scrutinise" the proposals, adding: "I'll beryllium keeping each options connected the array successful however we respond."

Tony Bosworth, clime campaigner astatine Friends of the Earth, besides said that if Sir Keir Starmer wants to beryllium "seen arsenic a clime leader", past backing Heathrow enlargement is "the incorrect move".

Earlier this year, Longford nonmigratory Christian Hughes told Sky News that his colony and others adjacent would beryllium "decimated" if an enlargement were to spell ahead.

It comes aft edifice tycoon Surinder Arora published a rival Heathrow enlargement plan, which involves a shorter runway to debar the request to divert the M25 motorway.

The billionaire's Arora Group said a 2,800m (9,200ft) runway would effect successful "reduced risk" and debar "spiralling cost".

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander volition see each plans implicit the summertime truthful that a reappraisal of the Airports National Policy Statement tin statesman aboriginal this year.

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It besides comes aft Sky News reported connected a Heathrow Airport-funded radical sending leaflets supporting a 3rd runway to thousands of homes crossed westbound London.

The group, called Back Heathrow, sent leaflets to radical surviving adjacent the airport, claiming enlargement could beryllium the way to a "greener" airdrome and suggesting it would mean lone the "cleanest and quietest aircraft" alert there.

Opponents of the airport's enlargement said the accusation provided by the radical is "incredibly misleading".

Back Heathrow told Sky News it had "always been open" astir the enactment it receives from the airport. The backing is not disclosed connected Back Heathrow's newsletter oregon website.