UK Government Boosts Its Climate Commitment W. Support Of New Runways At Heathrow AND Gatwick Airports
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The airport has set a target of 100 million passengers a year, hoping to reach it through work to reorganise its terminals and airfields. A third runway – which could be open as early as 2035, Woldbye said – could take it to 140 million. Government policy had been guided by the recommendation to limit UK airport expansion, pitting Heathrow against Gatwick, but the latest CCC report, published on Wednesday, dropped the proscription.
The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, appears likely to approve a development consent order for a second runway at Gatwick with a decision officially due on Thursday. She told an aviation industry dinner on Tuesday night: “I am not some sort of flight-shaming ecowarrior. I love flying. I always have.”
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Despite the clear political backing signalled in the chancellor, Rachel Reeves’s, pro-growth speech last month, Woldbye said legislation or action would be needed to progress. He said: “Neither we, nor the airlines, would be happy with just a speech, we need to have something in writing.” He said the company needed the government to “commit to some of these parts in order for us to proceed. We need, for example, to make sure that airspace modernisation is in place, because otherwise we’ll be building a piece of tarmac with no exits, and that doesn’t really work for anyone”. In December, the private equity firm Ardian became Heathrow’s largest shareholder, with a 23% holding, partnering Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which now owns 15%.
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He claimed sustainable aviation fuels and advances in engineering would decrease emissions, despite UK aviation emissions having continued to rise to 75% above 1990 levels, according to the CCC. “From the day you open the runway, of course you will see an immediate increase. I still think that the emission per passenger will be down at that point,” he said. “Our gaze is firmly on delivering the third runway.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/feb/26/heathrow-ceo-woldbye-third-runway-gateway-to-growth-gatwick