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Sky News
a day ago
- Business
- Sky News
Hotel tycoon announces expansion plan for Heathrow Airport which includes shorter third runway
Hotel tycoon Surinder Arora has put forward an expansion plan for Heathrow which rivals that by the airport's owners. The billionaire's Arora Group said they are proposing a shorter new runway which would avoid the costly need to divert the M25 motorway while being able to accommodate aircraft of all sizes. The company said building a 2,800-metre third runway, instead of the full-length 3,500-metre runway planned by the airport, would result in "reduced risk" and avoid "spiralling cost". Arora Group's Heathrow West proposal states the new runway could be fully operational by 2035. The plan rivals one by the airport's own owners, which will be submitted to the government on Thursday, after Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave her backing for a third runway during a speech in January. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will then review the Airports National Policy Statement, which provides the basis for decision-making on any Development Consent Order application. 3:21 The plan by the hotel tycoon's company also includes building a new terminal which would open in two phases, in 2036 and 2040. The proposal, developed with infrastructure company Bechtel, has a cost estimate of under £25bn, not including the redevelopment of the airport's existing central area. Mr Arora, who is one of the largest landowners at Heathrow, said: "After a decade working with our world-leading design and delivery team, I am very proud that the Arora Group can finally unveil to the UK Government our Heathrow West proposal, which directly meets and supports the United Kingdom's primary objective of unlocking economic growth at the UK's only hub airport, with a strong commitment of doing so on-budget and on-time. "The Arora Group has a proven track record of delivering on-time and on-budget projects including in and around Heathrow airport. "We are delighted that the Government has taken a common-sense approach to invite proposals from all interested parties for the very first time rather than granting exclusivity to the current airport operator, no matter its track record."
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Major update on top UK airport expansion – shock bid would build costly third runway for fraction of price
RIVAL plans for the multi-billion pound expansion of London Heathrow Airport have been revealed - with a much shorter third runway. Surinder Arora - behind the Arora Group who are a major landowner of Heathrow - submitted his own designs for the Advertisement 4 New plans for the Heathrow Airport expansion have been submitted by a rival group Credit: Arora Group / Bechtel 4 The plans would mean not having to reroute the M25 - costing billions and causing travel chaos Credit: Arora Group / Bechtel Called 'Heathrow West,' the £25billion plans are being developed with infrastructure company Bechtel, who were also behind major projects such as the Elizabeth Line, Channel Tunnel and expansions of both London City and London Gatwick . The biggest change to the addition of the third runway would be making it much smaller - being just 2,800 metres rather than 3,500. Being smaller, it would mean the airport would not need to divert the The new runway could be operational as soon as 2035. Advertisement Read more on airport plans The rival plans also include a new terminal - dubbed T6 - which would open in a first phase by 2036, will a full opening by 2040. Mr Arora - who also owns 'The Government's decision to invite competition rather than hand exclusivity to the incumbent is common sense – and we're ready to deliver.' He added: "The Arora Group has a proven track record of delivering on-time and on-budget projects including in and around Heathrow airport." Advertisement Most read in News Travel Live Blog With estimated costs of £25billion, this is much cheaper than what is expected of London Heathrow's plans. The last estimate from Heathrow was in 2014, with a cost of £14million - although experts have said this could be closer to £47.5billion in today's prices. London Heathrow reveal top airport security tips London Heathrow invited rival plans last month, with a deadline of July 31. The airport is set to submit their own plans later today. Advertisement The addition of a third runway was backed by Chancellor However, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan raised concerns, to do with the local environment. There are also fears of more expensive flights with the new runway, with the airport asking for the landing fees to be increased to cover the costs. Currently set at £23.73, this will drop by 2p next year, with the fee passed on from airline to passenger. Advertisement 4 The new runway and terminal could launch in the next decade Credit: Arora Group / Bechtel However, easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis backed the plans, and even suggested they could launch from their. He previously said: "When it comes to Heathrow, I've always thought Heathrow would fit our network of primary airports with great catchment areas. "It would be a unique opportunity to operate from Heathrow at scale - because obviously right now it's slot-constrained - and give us an opportunity to provide lower fares for UK consumers that currently at Heathrow just have the option of flag carriers. Advertisement "It fits with our network, we're present at all the other major European airports like Schiphol, Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Geneva." In the mean time, here are some other airports undergoing major expansions including 4 Heathrow Airport will be submitting their own plans later today Credit: Arora Group / Bechtel Advertisement
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major update on top UK airport expansion – shock bid would build costly third runway for fraction of price
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RIVAL plans for the multi-billion pound expansion of London Heathrow Airport have been revealed - with a much shorter third runway. Surinder Arora - behind the Arora Group who are a major landowner of Heathrow - submitted his own designs for the massive airport upgrade. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 New plans for the Heathrow Airport expansion have been submitted by a rival group Credit: Arora Group / Bechtel 4 The plans would mean not having to reroute the M25 - costing billions and causing travel chaos Credit: Arora Group / Bechtel Called 'Heathrow West,' the £25billion plans are being developed with infrastructure company Bechtel, who were also behind major projects such as the Elizabeth Line, Channel Tunnel and expansions of both London City and London Gatwick. The biggest change to the addition of the third runway would be making it much smaller - being just 2,800 metres rather than 3,500. Being smaller, it would mean the airport would not need to divert the M25 under the current plans, which will cost billions and result in traffic chaos. The new runway could be operational as soon as 2035. The rival plans also include a new terminal - dubbed T6 - which would open in a first phase by 2036, will a full opening by 2040. Mr Arora - who also owns Heathrow hotels such as Sofitel, Crowne Plaza and Hilton Garden Inn - said: 'I am proud to unveil the Heathrow West proposal which meets the UK's ambition to grow its only hub airport while delivering on time and on budget. 'The Government's decision to invite competition rather than hand exclusivity to the incumbent is common sense – and we're ready to deliver.' He added: "The Arora Group has a proven track record of delivering on-time and on-budget projects including in and around Heathrow airport." With estimated costs of £25billion, this is much cheaper than what is expected of London Heathrow's plans. The last estimate from Heathrow was in 2014, with a cost of £14million - although experts have said this could be closer to £47.5billion in today's prices. London Heathrow reveal top airport security tips London Heathrow invited rival plans last month, with a deadline of July 31. The airport is set to submit their own plans later today. The addition of a third runway was backed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves earlier this year. However, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan raised concerns, to do with the local environment. There are also fears of more expensive flights with the new runway, with the airport asking for the landing fees to be increased to cover the costs. Currently set at £23.73, this will drop by 2p next year, with the fee passed on from airline to passenger. 4 The new runway and terminal could launch in the next decade Credit: Arora Group / Bechtel However, easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis backed the plans, and even suggested they could launch from their. He previously said: "When it comes to Heathrow, I've always thought Heathrow would fit our network of primary airports with great catchment areas. "It would be a unique opportunity to operate from Heathrow at scale - because obviously right now it's slot-constrained - and give us an opportunity to provide lower fares for UK consumers that currently at Heathrow just have the option of flag carriers. "It fits with our network, we're present at all the other major European airports like Schiphol, Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Geneva." In the mean time, here are some other airports undergoing major expansions including London Stansted Airport, costing £1.1billion with a £600million new terminal. Manchester Airport is undergoing a £1.3billion renovation.
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Major update on top UK airport expansion – shock bid would build costly third runway for fraction of price
RIVAL plans for the multi-billion pound expansion of London Heathrow Airport have been revealed - with a much shorter third runway. Surinder Arora - behind the Arora Group who are a major landowner of Heathrow - submitted his own designs for the massive airport upgrade. 4 4 Called 'Heathrow West,' the £25billion plans are being developed with infrastructure company Bechtel, who were also behind major projects such as the Elizabeth Line, Channel Tunnel and expansions of both London City and London Gatwick. The biggest change to the addition of the third runway would be making it much smaller - being just 2,800 metres rather than 3,500. Being smaller, it would mean the airport would not need to divert the M25 under the current plans, which will cost billions and result in traffic chaos. The new runway could be operational as soon as 2035. The rival plans also include a new terminal - dubbed T6 - which would open in a first phase by 2036, will a full opening by 2040. Mr Arora - who also owns Heathrow hotels such as Sofitel, Crowne Plaza and Hilton Garden Inn - said: 'I am proud to unveil the Heathrow West proposal which meets the UK's ambition to grow its only hub airport while delivering on time and on budget. 'The Government's decision to invite competition rather than hand exclusivity to the incumbent is common sense – and we're ready to deliver.' He added: "The Arora Group has a proven track record of delivering on-time and on-budget projects including in and around Heathrow airport." With estimated costs of £25billion, this is much cheaper than what is expected of London Heathrow's plans. The last estimate from Heathrow was in 2014, with a cost of £14million - although experts have said this could be closer to £47.5billion in today's prices. London Heathrow reveal top airport security tips London Heathrow invited rival plans last month, with a deadline of July 31. The airport is set to submit their own plans later today. The addition of a third runway was backed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves earlier this year. However, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan raised concerns, to do with the local environment. There are also fears of more expensive flights with the new runway, with the airport asking for the landing fees to be increased to cover the costs. Currently set at £23.73, this will drop by 2p next year, with the fee passed on from airline to passenger. 4 However, easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis backed the plans, and even suggested they could launch from their. He previously said: "When it comes to Heathrow, I've always thought Heathrow would fit our network of primary airports with great catchment areas. "It would be a unique opportunity to operate from Heathrow at scale - because obviously right now it's slot-constrained - and give us an opportunity to provide lower fares for UK consumers that currently at Heathrow just have the option of flag carriers. "It fits with our network, we're present at all the other major European airports like Schiphol, Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Geneva." In the mean time, here are some other airports undergoing major expansions including London Stansted Airport, costing £1.1billion with a £600million new terminal. 4
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Hotel tycoon unveils rival £25bn plan to build Heathrow's third runway
Hotel magnate Surinder Arora has unveiled a plan to build a third runway at Heathrow that he claimed would save billions of pounds compared with the airport's own blueprint. The proposals, drawn up with US civil engineering giant Bechtel, call for the construction of a 2.8km (1.7 mile) landing strip opening by 2035 at a cost of no more than £25bn. While the runway would be 700m shorter than envisaged by Heathrow, limiting the size of jet able to take off, it would no longer require an expensive and complex diversion of the M25. Mr Arora said: 'Building over the M25 at the busiest junction in Europe is complete madness. Can you imagine how disruptive it would be? 'We are offering the Government, the regulator and the airlines an alternative option which we believe would be a lot more efficient, less costly and quicker to deliver.' Arora Group brought forward its plans after Mike Kane, the aviation minister, confirmed that the Government was open to outside proposals in a break from the previous approach. Mr Arora is one of the biggest landowners at Heathrow through his eponymous property empire, which covers seven hotels around the airport. He is pushing an alternative plan for a third runway amid fears that operators and passenger at the airport will end up bearing the cost of the development in the form of higher fees. The property tycoon's plan would see the enlarged Heathrow able to handle about 750,000 flights a year, Mr Arora said, some 270,000 more than today and around the same number as proposed by the hub's owners under its own expansion plan. The increase in capacity would depend on which planes airlines chose to operate from the truncated runway. In 2024 84m people used Heathrow. The plan includes a new terminal that would be able to accommodate 40m more passengers. Heathrow itself envisages lifting capacity to 150m travellers a year. Mr Arora said the 200-page blueprint for his 'Heathrow West' design would be submitted to the Department for Transport by the Thursday deadline set after Chancellor Rachel Reeves rekindled plans for a third runway. His cost estimate does not include the redevelopment of the existing central area of Heathrow, which could add as much as £15bn to the bill. Heathrow said it was preparing its own submission, expected to be based around plans backed by Parliament in 2018. It is understood that the proposal will continue to argue for the diversion of the M25, though Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow's chief executive, said last week that he was open to discussions should airlines and the government prefer a shorter, cheaper runway. Full details of Heathrow's plans are expected to be made public on Friday. Arora Group said the design drawn up by Bechtel, which led the development of the 65m-passenger Hamad International Airport in Qatar and helped expand Luton, would also reduce the environmental impact of the project. The plan envisages the creation of a new Terminal 6 to be located just to the east of the M25 and opened in two phases in 2036 and 2040. Sources close to Heathrow said the Arora Group proposals would require the runway to sit above the main access road from the M4, which cannot be lowered because of its proximity to rail infrastructure. Mr Arora said the spur road was already sunk into the ground and that building over it would be a simple task. The sources suggested that Arora's blueprint would also require the demolition of around 1,300 additional homes so that the strip could be extended to the east, at a cost of £500m. International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent of British Airways, the largest carrier at Heathrow, said it would review both proposals but avoiding the need to cross the M25 'would remove complexity, reduce costs and help deliver better value for passengers.' IAG said any expansion of Heathrow must be accompanied by reform of the charging model that determines the fees passed on to airlines and their customers, with the goal of avoiding 'significant increases.'
