Heathrow boss wants 'clear steer' on third runway

The boss of Heathrow Airport has said his company needs a "clear steer" from the new government by the end of 2025 over plans to expand the airport and build a third runway.

Thomas Woldbye, who has been in charge at the west London airport for 13 months, told BBC London that without a "positive indication" his company would not invest.

The project had secured parliamentary approval in June 2018 but was delayed by legal challenges over the environmental impact and by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department for Transport said any expansion proposals "must demonstrate they contribute to economic growth".

Mr Woldbye said: "We need to be joined up with both government and our airlines to say this is what we all want and what is it we contribute to make this a success."

The former boss of Copenhagen Airport added: "The way I look at it is that Heathrow is uniquely well connected to the rest of the world and all of you get benefits from that.

"If we are to keep pace with economic growth, we need to expand beyond what we can do with the current runways."

So is he getting any indication from the new government about what it wants?

"I think government has been saying they would like to stimulate economic growth and airports can do that," said Mr Woldbye.

"The government has also been clear that they support airport expansion - exactly what and how that's defined we need to talk about - but those are two very positive messages."

Heathrow's plans for a third runway to the north-west of the existing two are currently supported by government policy through the Airports National Policy Statement.

Under these plans, capacity for an additional 260,000 flights per year would be created.

There would also be a new terminal and the M25 orbital motorway would go beneath the runway.

But the plans have proved controversial for a decade.

Much of the villages of Harmondsworth, Sipson and Longford would be destroyed.

Support has come from Slough but councils including Hillingdon, Richmond and Wandsworth all oppose the scheme.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also said he was against expansion at Heathrow "due to the damaging impact it would have on air quality, noise and London's ability to achieve net-zero carbon by 2030".

The airport's next step would be to submit a planning application, and Mr Woldbye thinks a case for expansion can be made.

"It's important to underline that this airport and most other airports in the world make considerably less noise than we have ever done before. So the trajectory is right," he said.

"Next one is of course to involve and invite our neighbours in and say this is a company that creates enormous value for the entirety of the UK.

"We do put strain on our neighbours, how do we invite them in? We have an academy that over the past 20 years has helped 10,000 people get jobs in and around the airport."

Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in Europe and 90,000 people work on site.

Earlier this year, it recorded its highest passenger total for a 12-month period.

The cost of building a third runway would be at least £14bn and it would be paid for by the owners of Heathrow Airport.

Mr Woldbye acknowledges there will need to be climate mitigation and any expansion would have to keep within the UK's carbon targets.

"Now of course there are climate issues and other issues that we will need to solve in that process," he said.

"But I think if you just look from the point of people wishing to travel and the enormous support that has for not just travelling but also trade going through Heathrow was worth more than £200 billion a year.

"If we're to keep up with that growth we need it."

So what does Heathrow want from the government?

"Clear direction," said Mr Woldbye.

"Is this something that we strategically want from a transport national strategy point of view?

"Is this what we want? Then what can we do to make it happen? What are the safeguards we need?

"I cannot see a company like ours investing that sum of money without having a clear steer and clear wish from government that strategically that is the right thing to do."

If there is no clear direction, Mr Woldbye thinks a third runway will not happen.

"If the country doesn't want it, why would we build it?"

A DfT spokesperson said: "We are committed to securing the long-term future of the UK's aviation sector.

"However, any expansion proposals must demonstrate they contribute to economic growth, which is a foundation of this government's Plan for Change, while remaining in line with existing environmental obligations."

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