Not building third runway would be 'huge missed opportunity', warns Heathrow boss
Thomas Woldbye tells the Today progamme it would be "good to know" the government's position on the project, after comments made by the prime minister.
Key points
- Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye said not building a third runway would be a 'huge missed opportunity' for the UK.
- Woldbye warned that investor money would go elsewhere if Heathrow cannot expand.
- The government is reviewing consultation responses and finalising its Airports National Policy Statement.
Heathrow's chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, has warned that failing to build a third runway would be a 'huge missed opportunity' for the UK. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said it would be 'good to know' the government's position on the project, after Prime Minister Andy Burnham refused to say whether he backed expansion.
Woldbye said that if Heathrow's owners could not invest in a third runway, the money 'will be invested somewhere else in the world', suggesting a decision would be made in the new year. The Department for Transport said it was reviewing consultation responses and 'considering the appropriate next steps'.
What officials said
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the government supported airport expansion 'across the country where this can contribute to growth and opportunity, while meeting the tests on the environment'. They said expanding Heathrow had the 'potential to deliver around £40 billion in economic benefits across the country'.
Downing Street declined to comment on Woldbye's remarks. Burnham, who as Mayor of Greater Manchester opposed the scheme, said the matter was 'for London and Londoners' and that the public's voice should be heard first.
If they cannot invest in Heathrow... then that money will be invested somewhere else in the world
— Thomas Woldbye
Project details and costs
A third runway would mean demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers, and rerouting the M25 between junctions 14 and 15 through a tunnel under the new runway. It is estimated to cost £33bn to build.
Heathrow currently serves more than 80 million travellers a year with four terminals and two runways. The annual flight cap of 480,000 could rise to 720,000, or nearly 2,000 a day on average. The runway was scheduled to open by 2035 but Heathrow has suggested a four-year delay to 2039 due to planning and regulatory issues.
