What Would Be The Impact Of A Third Runway At Heathrow?

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to give her support on Wednesday for expansion of Heathrow Airport.

Here are answers to 14 key questions on the third runway project.

– How busy is Heathrow?

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest two-runway airports, with planes taking off or landing up to every 45 seconds.

– Is Heathrow full?

To increase passenger numbers under the current set-up, airlines must either use larger planes or increase the proportion of seats filled.

Heathrow forecasts it will serve 84.2 million passengers this year, an increase of just 0.4% from the 83.9 million last year.

– Why does Heathrow want to expand?

Building a third runway would create extra capacity which could be used to increase flight numbers and boost resilience during disruption.

– What would be the environmental impact of expansion?

Planes emit CO2 when they burn jet fuel, which contributes to global warming.

Climate and energy website Carbon Brief says a forest twice the size of London would need to be planted in the UK to cancel out the extra CO2 emissions from expansion of Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton Airports.

– What about the specific impact on local residents?

Campaigners say airport expansion would lead to a severe increase in aircraft noise experienced by local communities.

– What is the UK’s target for reducing aviation emissions?

To reach net zero for CO2 by 2050.

– How does it hope to achieve this?

The aviation sector is largely relying on the development of sustainable aviation fuels to reduce CO2 emissions.

It is also developing aircraft powered by electricity and hydrogen, although the large-scale commercial use of these technologies remains a long way off.

– What do climate experts say about airport expansion?

Independent advisers on the Government’s Climate Change Committee recommend there should be “no net airport expansion across the UK”.

– How much will a third runway at Heathrow cost?

Heathrow said in 2018 that it could complete the project for £14 billion.

– Who will pay for it?

Generally, anything within the boundary of Heathrow will be privately financed by the airport’s owners.

The airport will seek to recoup this money through fees paid by airlines, which have expressed concerns about being charged too much.

– Will any taxpayers’ money be used?

If the project gets the go-ahead, Heathrow and the Government will discuss how to pay for the extensive road and rail improvements away from the airport that will be required.

A report by the independent Airports Commission in 2015 estimated that surface access projects – such as changes to the M25 and M4 motorways, as well as a new rail link – would cost £5 billion.

– When could the runway open?

No timeline has been set out, but it is likely to be well into the 2030s before a third runway could be operational.

– How many more flights will be possible with a new runway?

Heathrow’s current maximum annual number of flights is around 475,000.

A third runway could enable it to reach around 740,000 flights a year.

– Where would the new flights go to?

In addition to more long-haul routes, Heathrow previously proposed that flights to domestic airports such as Belfast International, Liverpool, Humberside, Prestwick and Durham Tees Valley could operate if its capacity is increased.