UK: Heathrow upgrade to be split into four phases up to 2050

Heathrow airport will stagger the construction of its contentious £14bn expansion to manage costs and ban night flights once a third runway is complete to appease residents’ concerns, it revealed on Tuesday. Dividing the project into four phases is part of Heathrow’s efforts to keep the passenger service charge “close to 2016 levels”, said one person briefed on the airport’s plans. Heathrow’s fee of GBP22 per person is already one of the most expensive in the world. But the UK’s busiest airport said that the staggered construction would not delay the third runway, which will be built in the first phase and is scheduled to become operational in 2026. The final phase is scheduled for completion in 2050. The plan attempts to address concerns from residents and anti-expansion campaigners with a ban on scheduled night flights, running from 11pm to 5.30am. This will come into force when the third runway opens. Both meet the requirements of the government’s national policy statement, which set out the principles for expansion after the House of Commons approved the project last June. Detailed costs are still to be outlined, but the airport is expected to submit its initial business plan to the Civil Aviation Authority for review towards the end of this year. In addition to the ban on scheduled night flights, Heathrow’s additional proposals to mitigate noise pollution include alternating the use of the three runways to provide predictable periods of noise relief and a GBP700m insulation scheme for those homes affected.<br/>