A new approach to an old problem

The UK is handing trade and jobs to our European competitors on a plate. Capacity constraints at Heathrow – our only international hub airport – are cutting the UK off from economic growth.

Heathrow has been full for a decade now while other international hub airports – such as Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam – have been utilising their spare capacity to provide more and more flights to an increasing range of growth markets. We are missing out on up to £14 billion per year in lost trade as a result.

Today, Heathrow is publishing its response to the Airports Commission, established by the Government to consider the UK’s aviation needs. All of the hub options we submit today will connect the UK to growth more quickly – and cost the taxpayer less - than any of the alternative hub options being proposed.

In preparing our submission, we have thought afresh about the future of Heathrow, and assessed many different options for new hub capacity. The options we outline today represent a new approach to an old problem. We have rejected BAA’s previous proposal for a third runway and are putting forward new proposals which balance the need for growth with the impact on local communities.

We have taken particular consideration of the impact of aircraft noise, and all three options put forward by Heathrow will deliver more flights while reducing the number of people exposed to high levels of noise. This means that, even with a third runway, in 2030 there would be significantly fewer people within Heathrow’s noise footprint than today.

Of course, there are no easy options for building new runways. Every proposal considered by the Airports Commission will have pros and cons. There can be no doubt that Sir Howard Davies and his team face a tough decision. But it’s a decision the country can no longer duck.

After decades of indecision, the UK has not built a new full-length runway in the South-East since the Second World War. We have sat by and watched as our European competitors have added new runways and new capacity at their airports. With every passing year, we are cutting ourselves off from growth and jobs.

It’s time to have the courage to connect Britain to the growth it needs. It’s time to rediscover the ingenuity and confidence that made Britain the hub of the aviation world. It’s time for a third runway at Heathrow.

Heathrow’s formal response to the Airports Commission can be found at www.heathrow.com/airportscommission