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For many years, the proposed expansion of London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has remained a contentious issue in the UK. Heathrow is the nation’s largest and busiest air hub, but its relatively compact footprint with just two runways has seen its capacity stretched more and more in recent times. This has resulted in operations at the West London facility being strictly dictated by slots, with airlines often bidding millions of pounds for them.
In order to ease this congestion, as well as facilitating a wider expansion that will see its annual passenger numbers almost double, a third runway has been proposed as part of Heathrow’s next phase of growth. However, progress has been slow, with the concept in the works for many years but facing considerable opposition. This has prompted Paul Griffiths, the CEO of Dubai Airports, to urge the UK to “get on with it” regarding the expansion.
80 Years Of Discussions
Griffiths made his comments in a recent interview with The Independent, a British newspaper. As part of his discussion with the publication, the Dubai Airports CEO, who looks after both Dubai International Airport (DXB) and the neighboring Al Maktoum (DWC), argued that “Heathrow expansion was first discussed in 1946. Surely by now a decision is slightly overdue?” The facility’s restricted nature has seen it lose its top spot in some regards.
Indeed, according to The Independent, since 
Dubai International Airport overtook Heathrow as the hub handling the most international guests anywhere in the world, in 2014, its growth has been more than twice as fast as that of the West London facility, at a rate of 35% compared to 15%. Griffiths argued that unlocking more aviation capacity with a third runway will not just benefit Heathrow, but also the UK economy as a whole, saying:
“The barriers to economic growth by constraining the growth of aviation are serious and probably not widely understood. The economic benefits will kickstart the UK economy in a way that no other industry could do.”
Heathrow’s Third Runway Would Almost Double Its Capacity
Since recovering from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, 
London Heathrow Airport has seen strong and consistent growth in terms of passenger traffic. This was underlined last month, when the facility announced that 2025 was its busiest-ever year, with over 84 million guests passing through its doors. However, the current slot-controlled nature of its two-runway operations means that it is unlikely to get a great deal higher.
This is where a third runway would unlock considerable benefits in terms of additional capacity, with The Independent noting that, all being well, such an expansion would allow it to almost double its current record figure to some 150 million passengers every year. However, with strong opposition from the environmental lobby, the planning process has been slow, with Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary even estimating that it won’t open until 2040.
Such an outcome would contradict Griffiths’ sentiments, although he hopes that fears concerning noise pollution will be allayed, saying that “the latest aircraft are so quiet you’re hardly noticing them.” In any case, Heathrow has made key steps forward, and, after the UK Government selected its preferred concept in 2025, the airport said last month that it aims to secure planning permission by 2029 and open the runway within a decade.
Britain’s Busiest Airport Just Got Busier With A Record-Breaking Year
Heathrow’s annual passenger total has exceeded 84 million for the first time.
Even Heathrow’s Main Airlines Are Kicking Back Against The Expansion Plans
While opposition from environmental groups has been understandable and predictable, recent weeks have seen more unexpected opponents of the expansion come to the fore, namely two of Heathrow’s largest airlines. Specifically, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are pushing back against the new plans.
The reason for this, they say, is that, as the two main carriers at the airport and thus its top contributors in terms of fees, they don’t want to effectively bankroll the expansion for the benefit of smaller rival airlines that don’t put as much into the system. As such, they have lobbied for a reform of Heathrow’s funding model.
