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lot has changed at Heathrow
Airport since it rst opened on May
31, 1946. Back then passengers
checked in for their ights in tents
erected along the Bath Road; today the airport
boasts four terminals including the ultra-
modern T2 and T5.
Last year the airport handled a record
75 million passengers, a 2.2% increase on
2014, strengthening its case for expansion.
Heathrow’s current two-runway operation is
almost stretched to bursting, and any bad
weather or incident that results in a runway
being unavailable has serious consequences
for the airport, the airlines and their passengers.THIRD RUNWAY
Heathrow wants to build a new full-length
(11,483ft/3,500m) runway to the northwest of
its existing site, a plan that won the backing
of the Airports Commission when it released
its report last July. The commission, chaired
by Sir Howard Davies, was charged by
the government with nding how best to
increase airport capacity in the South East of
England. Three proposals were shortlisted
by Sir Howard and his team; a third runway atHeathrow, an extension to Heathrow’s existing
northerly runway proposed by Heathrow Hub
and a second runway at London Gatwick
Airport. After two years of hearings, which
cost the taxpayer almost £20m, Sir Howard
selected Heathrow’s new third runway
proposal as the commission’s preferred
choice, estimating it would deliver up to
£147bn in economic bene ts and create more
than 70,000 new jobs by 2050.
“Heathrow is best placed to provide the
type of capacity which is most urgently
required: long-haul destinations to new
markets,” explained Sir Howard. “It provides
the greatest bene ts for business passengers,
freight operators and the broader economy.”
The report was heavily criticised by
Gatwick, which released a 50-page dossier on
August 17 highlighting “key errors, omissions,
and aws”. Sir Howard admitted Gatwick’s
second runway proposal was “feasible”, but
the commission concluded that additional
capacity at the West Sussex airport would be
more focused on short-haul intra-European
routes and the economic bene ts would
be “considerably smaller” than those at
Heathrow. The commission acknowledgedthat the proposal to extend Heathrow’s
existing northern runway would deliver similar
economic bene ts, be less costly and require
the loss of fewer homes. However, it would
deliver a smaller increase in capacity and was
deemed less attractive “from a noise and air
quality perspective”.
Heathrow’s third runway proposal is
estimated to cost around £17.6bn to construct,
more than £10bn above the price of a second
runway at Gatwick, and the commission
acknowledged it would affect more people
than the alternative proposals. Because of
this, the Airports Commission recommended
restrictions are placed on the new runway to
limit its impact on the environment, including
a ban on all scheduled night ights between
2330hrs and 0600hrs.
However, in a December 10
announcement, the British Government
postponed making any decision on airport
expansion until the summer, saying all
shortlisted options – including expansion
at Gatwick – were still under consideration.
Despite winning the backing of the Airports
Commission, the House of Commons
Environmental Audit Committee wants19British Airways Airbus A380-841 G-XLED lifts off from Runway 27L
with Terminal 3 in the background. Many airlines now use the A
to serve Heathrow and the aircraft’s large capacity has helped grow
the airport’s passenger gures. AirTeamImages.com/Steve FlintORIGINS
Since the 1930s there has been an air eld
on the current Heathrow site. Aircraft builder
Richard Fairey acquired a 150-acre plot from
which aeroplanes would be assembled and
test own. The air eld had a single grass
runway and a small number of buildings.
During World War Two the site, known as
Great West Aerodrome, was requisitioned for
use as RAF Heston. An RAF-style control
tower was built and the air eld was to have
ve runways. By the time the hamlet of Heath
Row was demolished and land cleared for the
runways the war was over and the site was
handed over to the Air Ministry as London’s
new civil airport on January 1, 1946.18-22_lhr_overview.JR.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 19 06/05/2016 16: