Heathrow runway plans face cost concerns and rival proposals, MPs warned

Heathrow Airport and a consortium called Heathrow West, linked to the Arora Group, have submitted rival blueprints for a third runway. Heathrow's proposal involves a 3,500-metre runway costing £33 billion, potentially rising to £49 billion with terminals and other upgrades. Surinder Arora, chairman of Heathrow West, cautioned that a project several times more expensive than airports like Schipol or Charles de Gaulle could render Heathrow a "ghost town."

The consortium's alternative is a 2,400-metre runway, with a possible extension to 2,800 metres, which Arora says may become affordable later. Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye rejected the rival scheme as not delivering the needed capacity. The government, led by Keir Starmer, has pledged full support for expansion but warned that without investment certainty, private capital could flow abroad. Heathrow expects to file a formal planning application within the next few years.