Heathrow launches new bid to build third runway as it pushes ahead with £2.3bn upgrade

Heathrow is in talks with the Government over controversial plans for a third runway and has announced a £2.3bn upgrade.

Europe’s busiest airport is in new talks with ministers and airlines in its latest push in a long battle to expand.

Chief executive Thomas Woldbye wants to boost existing infrastructure while building support for a third runway.

Negotiations have received a boost after Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and a giant French investor took control of the airport this week.

Uncertainty over its ownership after Ferrovial announced its intention to sell caused a pause in lobbying efforts.

Woldbye is now seeking “clear direction” that the Government will back a third runway. In 2018, Heathrow was given the green light for a runway that would allow an extra 260,000 flights a year, after more than a decade of debate.

But the plans, which would destroy large parts of the villages of Harmondsworth, Sipson and Longford, stalled amid staunch opposition from environmental groups and local activists. And the cabinet is reportedly divided over whether to back the expansion.

Some ministers want economic growth while others, including Environment Secretary Ed Miliband, are opposed on climate change grounds.

‘Heathrow said plans for a third runway would have to pass ‘strict carbon, noise and air quality tests.’

Woldbye wants to squeeze more capacity out of the existing infrastructure, as well as a third runway.

The £2.3bn investment announced yesterday will be spent on improving baggage delivery, punctuality and customer experience, and comes just days after Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF and investment firm Ardian, based in Paris, will buy a 37 per cent stake in a £3.3bn deal. which valued Heathrow at £8.3 billion.

The airport is preparing for the busiest festive period in its history and is expecting a record-breaking Christmas Day.

Heathrow has forecast a total of 83.8 million passengers by 2024 after demand soared over the summer.

A spokesperson said: ‘Heathrow is the best connected airport in the world. That competitive advantage for UK plc already enables more than £200 billion of British trade a year.

“But growing the economy means adding capacity.”