Burnham’s new chief of staff ran City firm advising Thames Water and rival Heathrow bidder Advisory Andy Burnham’s likely chief of staff will move to Downing Street from a lobbying firm that counts Thames Water and the rival bidder for Heathrow’s third runway as clients, just as ministers mull decisions that could decide both organisations’ fate. James Purnell is widely tipped to become Burnham’s most senior right-hand man should the Makerfield [...]
Economic benefit of Heathrow expansion slashed by 90 per cent Transport & Infrastructure Heathrow’s third runway could boost the UK economy by just 0.05 per cent, a 90 per cent loss of the economic benefit that had been previously forecast. The expansion of the UK’s biggest airport will boost GDP by 0.05 per cent at best but this impact could be as little as 0.3 per cent, government [...]
Ministers open door to phased Heathrow third runway plan Aviation Heathrow’s third runway expansion may be built over several phases in a bid to hit the government’s ambitious timeline, opening the door to a proposal tabled by rival bidder Heathrow West. In planning documents published by the Department for Transport on Thursday, the government said that a phased construction of the mega-project may be necessary [...]
Hopes rise for decision on Heathrow’s third runway plan June 18, 2026 Hopes for full government backing this summer for Heathrow’s expansion plans were rising on Thursday, with London’s main airport operating on the brink of full capacity. A report in The Times said Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is moving to clear the plans before any challenge to his leadership from Andy Burnham, with voting underway in [...]
Flying at Heathrow will cost ‘significantly more’ due to third runway bid June 12, 2026 Heathrow’s bid for a third runway will “significantly” push up the cost of flying from the UK’s biggest airport, a leading aviation expert has warned. The airport’s expansion will “inevitably” push up ticket fares because it is set to be allowed to hike the fees it charges to airports, Alton Aviation’s Ronan Murphy told City [...]
Heathrow slams regulator plans to ‘take UK backwards’ by slashing investment June 11, 2026 Heathrow has issued a scathing rebuttal of the regulator’s plans to crack down on the airport’s spending and expansion, warning that this risks “taking the UK backwards”. The UK’s largest airport said that the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) “proposed cuts to our investment plans risk taking the UK backwards and weakening our competitiveness”. The CAA [...]
Let’s help London’s £53.5bn airport investment opportunity take off June 10, 2026 The report highlights how London’s global success has been underpinned by its connectivity. Yet those connections are straining through a combination of a Byzantine planning system, regulatory hurdles and rising, policy-driven, operating costs. If London can’t get airport investment off the ground, it’ll be left on the tarmac while other country’s growth flies, says John [...]
Hotel tycoon Arora launches revamped Heathrow runway proposal May 18, 2026 The hotel tycoon behind a rival bid to build Heathrow’s third runway has tabled a fresh proposal backed by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic that would build the mega-project in two distinct stages in an effort to keep a lid on costs. Surinder Arora, the billionaire hospitality magnate behind a campaign to reshape Heathrow’s regulatory [...]
Watchdog rules Heathrow third runway could be built by rival bidder May 15, 2026 Heathrow will lose its decades-old monopoly over building and operating new projects at the airport under new proposals tabled by the aviation watchdog, paving the way for a rival operator to build the third runway and new terminal. As part of a review of the airport’s red tape conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority, the [...]
Heathrow, Gatwick revolt over Labour flight cancellation plans May 12, 2026 Heathrow and Gatwick have urged the government to climb down from plans to allow airlines to scrap flights without notice – a move which could endanger the summer holidays of millions of Brits. The leading airports reportedly wrote to the government to oppose mooted plans to unwind “use it or lose it” rules to allow [...]