Massive expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton "set for go ahead from Reeves"
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Rachel Reeves is preparing to give the green light to a massive wave of airport expansion for London to help boost economic growth, it has been reported. In the most eye-catching decision she will give Government backing to a third runway at Heathrow in a move that will be bitterly opposed by residents and environmental campaigners and could cause a damaging rife with Energyu Secretary Ed Miliband.
But the Chancellor will also give the nod to a full-time second runway at Gatwick and a major expansion of Luton airport, according to newswire Bloomberg. It weas claimed she will make the announcement on airports - as well giving the go ahead to the £9 billion Lower Thames Crossing project, a tunnel connecting Kent and Essex and a Universal Studios theme park in Bedfordshire - in a speech later this month on her plans for boosting growth.
A third runway for Heathrow, which is operating close to its capacity after passenger numbers bounced back unexpectedly strongly from the pandemic, was first mooted was first mooted in a 2003 White Paper. The £14 billion project could increase capacity by 260,000 flights a year .
Heathrow put the plans on ice during the period of lockdowns and travel restrictions and officially still has them under review. However, the airport’s bosses, led by chief executive Thomas Woldbye, have been waiting for a steer from the Government before deciding whether to push ahead with the plans once again.
Meanwhile Gatwick expects to hear by 27 February whether it has got ministerial approval for its plans to make its northern runway - currently only used as a taxiway - into a fully fledged second runway. The £2.2 billion privately financed scheme would increase Gatwick’s capacity to 75 million passengers by the late 2030s.
