The UK government has chosen London Heathrow Airport’s plan to add a third runway ahead of a rival expansion scheme.
Heathrow’s £49 billion project, which will involve moving the nearby M25 motorway, has been selected to “progress the project” by the Department for Transport in preference to a rival plan put forward by billionaire hotel entrepreneur Surinder Arora.
The government said that Heathrow’s plan “offers the most deliverable option and provides the greatest likelihood of meeting the government’s ambition for a decision on a development consent application within this parliament”.
The decision follows the government announcing its support for a controversial third runway at Heathrow earlier this year.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “This decision marks an important milestone, one that reaffirms the UK’s commitment to maintaining its position as a world leader in aviation, innovation and economic growth.
“Heathrow is our only hub airport, which supports trade, tourism and hundreds of thousands of jobs and underpins prosperity across both the south-east and regions of the United Kingdom.”
Heathrow’s plan will now undergo a “swift and robust policy review”, with a final planning decision on the expansion scheme due to be made by 2029. The government is hoping that a new runway will be operational by 2035.