The facelifts are projected to cost over £50 billion, and not everyone is happy with the proposals
The UK’s two biggest airports are in a state of flux. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has greenlit plans for a second runway at London Gatwick Airport, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves claiming the expansion would pave the way for “thousands of jobs and billions in investment.”
Gatwick says the second runway means the airport will serve 75 million passengers per year by the late 2030s, having submitted its proposal in July 2023. Meanwhile the Heathrow Airport plans haven’t been given the go-ahead, despite officials claiming the proposal’s shovel-ready.
Heathrow says the third runway would cost £21 billion and would be operational within a decade. Officials also argue it would give travellers greater choice, with 30 news destinations on the table, with the possibility of up to 756,000 flights each year. Both upgrades have led to groups raising concerns from disturbances to locals, to environmental problems.
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is Europe’s busiest single runway airport and over 40 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 45 long-haul destinations. Expansion plans surround The Northern Runway, which is currently used as a taxiway (a plane path connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other parts of an airport).
The airports plans on repositioning the centre line of the Northern Runway 12 metres north, away from the main runway, to allow departures from both the main runway and the Northern Runway, which is thought to cost £2.2 billion.
Gatwick says it would also pay for road connections to both terminals to be enhanced, creating flyovers which separate local traffic from vehicles travelling to or from the airport.
Stewart Wingate, VINCI Airports Managing Director for United Kingdom said: “After a lengthy and rigorous planning process, we welcome the Government’s approval of plans to bring our Northern Runway into routine use, ahead of the expected deadline. This is another important gateway in the planning process for this £2.2 billion investment, which is fully funded by our shareholders and will unlock significant growth, tourism and trade benefits for London Gatwick and the UK and create thousands of jobs.
“As we’ve said previously, it is essential that any planning conditions enable us to realise the full benefits of the project and do not impose unnecessary constraints that make it uneconomic to invest in. We now need to carefully examine the details of the planning consent. Once we have done that, we will be able to comment further.”
Does this mean Gatwick Airport will be really noisy?
No, according to the airport, quite the opposite. The airport says it is committed to creating a ‘noise envelope’, a legally binding pledge.
It says the commitment demands with within nine years of the Northern Runway’s expansion, the airport will be quieter than it was in 2019. Similarly, the new extended Northern Runway will be out of action between 11pm and 6am, with a noise insulation scheme seeing the numbers of eligible homes going up from 2,000 to 4,300.
What do the locals say?
A 2023 YouGov poll of 3180 people showed that 43 per cent of respondents either strongly support or tend to support Gatwick’s plans to bring its standby runway into routine use. Meanwhile only 12 per cent either tend to oppose or strongly oppose the move. The remaining 55 per cent said ‘neither’ or ‘don’t know’.
This would suggest overall, people are happy about the go-ahead. But speaking to BBC Radio Surrey, Sally Pavey, chair of Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE), said the expansion of the Northern Runway is “a cocktail of a nightmare” and is calling for a juidicial review.
She said: “We can’t believe the government has not held Gatwick accountable and said ‘pay for the infrastructure if you want this new runway. There are so many holes, so many reasons to serve a judicial review.”
Heathrow Airport
Heathrow’s expansion plans aren’t as far ahead as Gatwick’s, but the airport reckons it’ll cost £49 billion. There are three main proposals for the West London upgrade: a 3.5km third runway, costing £21 billion, increasing terminal capacity – including a new T5X – for £12billion, and upgrading infrastructure which should cost around £15 billion.
The third runway would be known as the “North-Western Runway” which officials claim will increase capacity to 756,000 flights and 150million passengers a year, up from the current 84million, would be built within a decade. While ‘T5X’ will see the expansion of Terminal 2 and the introduction of three new satellite terminals and the closure of Terminal 3.
Plans also entail diversion of the M25, which would see a new road tunnel built beneath the airport, with the orbital motorway widened between junctions 14 and 15.
What do the locals say?
The proposed expansion was slammed by Richmond council leader Gareth Roberts. “London deserves a better Heathrow, not a bigger one,” said Councillor Roberts. “The government’s so-called growth agenda – now revealed nine months ago – is yet to present credible detail showing how these plans will actually deliver benefits for residents or the environment.
“Residents in Richmond upon Thames and neighbouring boroughs already live with near-constant noise, air pollution, and disruption. A third runway will only make this worse. There are many ways to support jobs and connectivity without piling more flights over London. Freight, domestic flights, and smarter use of existing capacity all need serious consideration. Until the government lays out full plans, we cannot be reassured that these promises are deliverable.”
Will travel be cheaper?
Travel & Tourism Expert at holiday website CityTrip, Christian Petzold says there is a likelihood of cheaper fares in the long run. He said: “The Gatwick growth will be introducing both convenience and some extra cost. In terms of convenience, a second operational runway will cut capacity and choices way down.
“This means more routes, more airlines competing for slots, and more likely cheaper fares in the long run. Low-cost carriers that were previously limited in their activity at Gatwick, such as Ryanair, will be given an opportunity to expand, providing customers with more low-fare options. Added capacity will also reduce the confusion we typically see when things are delayed, because a bit of ‘slack’ in the system allows the airport to recover more quickly from a disruption.”
Although he clarified that passengers would bear some of the brunt, but a relatively minimal amount compared to what he predicts they will if the Heathrow plans get the green light.
He continued: “And as for cost, tourists will understandably incur some of the cost of the £2.2 billion expansion. But the estimates suggest this will be relatively minimal – around £4 per tourist averaged across a decade, a drop in the ocean compared to the cost passengers would incur to grow Heathrow. Although that’s an increased expense built into ticket prices or fees, the increased competition among airlines may more than offset it by reducing fares. In practice, for most travellers, the daily reality will improve: fewer delays, more options of destinations, and even cheaper fares, while marginal cost will be hardly noticeable in contrast to overall value.”
And Thomas Cook didn’t specify whether air fares would plummet, but clarified greater ‘flexibility and choice is to come’. Nicholas Smith, Holidays Digital Director at Thomas Cook said: “We welcome the news of the planned expansions at London Gatwick and Heathrow. This move will significantly increase flight options, enabling us to offer our customers even more flexibility and choice, whether they are planning a long-haul adventure, a city break, or a relaxing beach getaway.”
What does Greenpeace have to say?
Greenpeace UK policy director, Dr Douglas Parr was having none of it, claiming the expansions will have devastating consequences on the environment, with green targets already being missed. He said: “The last government’s implausible claims that aviation could expand in a climate-friendly manner rested on various aspirations for hydrogen powered aircraft and large scale ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ production that have already been abandoned or suspended. Given the aviation industry’s record of missing 98 per cent of the climate targets they set themselves, successive governments’ faith in the sector’s greenwash is starting to look less like naivete and more like collusion.”
‘The decision smacks of desperation’
He continued: “By approving Gatwick’s expansion the government has hung a millstone the size of a 747 around the country’s neck. , completely ignoring the solid evidence that increasing air travel won’t drive economic growth. The only thing it’s set to boost is air pollution, noise, and climate emissions.
“With the green industrial sector growing at three times the rate of the UK economy, it doesn’t take a genius to see that renewable energy, battery storage, upgrading our energy grid, public transport, and housing are where the smart investments lie.“
Stay updated on the latest travel news for London’s roads with our London Traffic and Travel newsletter. Sign up HERE
