Heathrow expansion plans reach UK Parliament

Heathrow's expansion plans are now before Parliament, which is assessing the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement. According to the promoter, the proposal brings £33 billion in private investment, more than 100,000 jobs and a 50 per cent increase in the country's air cargo capacity. The government has ratified the project's viability alongside its net zero 2050 targets.

In September the airport handled close to 7.2 million passengers, despite pressures linked to conflict in the Middle East. Nearly 1.4 million of them were connecting passengers, a volume the airport says helps airlines make additional routes commercially viable. Cargo traffic rose 5 per cent year on year, and 96 per cent of departing passengers rated their experience good or excellent.

Demand continues to outstrip the site's physical capacity, with more than 40 airlines seeking slots to operate at Heathrow. Flights are capped and the site is saturated, so operators wanting to launch or expand services are turning to competing connecting airports abroad, shifting traffic, trade and growth potential outside the UK. A multi-sector coalition of regions, unions and community supporters is backing the plans as they advance.