Labour Back Plan for a Third Runway at Heathrow Airport
The government has backed the expansion of Heathrow Airport after years of heated debate, saying it could create 100,000 jobs. The move, alongside potential confirmation of the expansion of other London airports including Gatwick and Luton, is likely to be met by fierce opposition.
Critics say increasing air travel would make it much harder for the UK to meet its climate change commitments.
However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said “a third runway is badly needed,” adding the government “cannot duck the decision any longer”.
Third Runway at Heathrow Airport
Heathrow is already the UK’s busiest airport, serving more than 80 million travellers a year with its four passenger terminals and two runways. A third runway would mean demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers, and rerouting the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15 through a tunnel under the new runway.
The number of flights, currently capped at 480,000 a year, could go up to 720,000 – or nearly 2,000 a day on average.
Heathrow told the BBC that it would eventually be able to serve up to 140 million passengers a year once the third runway is in operation.
The airport’s owners, which include Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s sovereign wealth funds and private equity firm Ardian, said the costs of expansion would be met by charging airlines for use of the larger airport. But after years of wrangling over the original plans, external, the initial cost estimate of £14bn will need to be revised.
Even with government backing, the formal planning process could take up to two years. Any planning decision could then be subject to a judicial review, as well as needing to answer questions from opponents over environmental concerns.
Local authorities and nearby residents will also have questions. After all that, construction is expected to take another six or seven years.
Does Labour Support a Third Runway?
A third runway was first proposed by Gordon Brown’s Labour government in 2009 but was only finally given the go-ahead by the Supreme Court in 2020.
Several members of the current government – including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – voted against a Heathrow expansion when in opposition. But Starmer recently told the BBC that the government has climate commitments, “but growth is really important too.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Any aviation expansion will only be able to go ahead if it is consistent with our carbon budgets”.
However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office said he has “a long-standing opposition to airport expansion around London” because of the impact on air quality and noise.
Heathrow’s boss, Thomas Woldbye, said in December he was waiting for a “clear steer” from the government before he could take plans forward.
Could an Extra Runway Aid the Economy?
Some arguments for investing in the UK’s transport infrastructure include a boost in growth, more jobs, and help for UK exports.
Other European cities boast hub airports with more runways, including Amsterdam which serves fewer passengers than Heathrow but has five runways. Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt have four.
Currently, over £200bn of British trade passes through Heathrow annually. Heathrow has not devised figures on how much trade is expected to increase after a third runway, which it will do when it arrives at planning stage.
The Airport Commission, an independent panel that examines the need for additional UK airport capacity, looked into the likely impact of Heathrow expansion and reported in 2015, external that there would be benefits to the tune of £61bn over 60 years.
It said that included reduced fares, fewer delays, greater resilience, and the creation of up to 77,000 jobs.
Forging ahead with Heathrow expansion would also send a clear message to foreign investors that the government means what it says about making growth its priority.
However, some critics, including think tank the New Economics Foundation say the impact on growth is exaggerated, external, arguing more capacity in the south of England might simply displace activity from other regions.