Rachel Reeves has given her strongest hint yet that she will back a third runway at Heathrow airport, arguing that she is willing to make difficult decisions while pursuing economic growth. The chancellor is poised to make a significant speech this week where she will outline her plans to boost the British economy by radically altering planning rules and accelerating building projects. On Sunday, she confronted the long-running political saga over expanding Europe’s busiest airport, claiming a third runway had environmental benefits such as fewer planes circling London – leading to cleaner air. Cabinet ministers who have voted against Heathrow expansion in the past are preparing to put aside their objections. The Guardian understands that Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury who in 2018 described the environmental consequences of a third runway as “unconscionable”, does not view it as a resigning issue.Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary who also voted against a third runway in 2018, would also not resign over it. Ed Miliband, the biggest opponent of aviation expansion within the cabinet, ruled out resigning last week. Steve Reed, the environment secretary, is expected to drop his past objection to the plans. He said over the weekend that he opposed a third runway at Heathrow in 2018 because he was in favour of expanding Gatwick airport instead, on the basis that it would benefit his south London constituency.<br/>
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Saudi Arabia's airport sector operator Matarat Holding has awarded a contract to Spanish engineering and technology group Sener to update the masterplans for five of its major airports - Yanbu, Tabuk, Al-Baha, Al Jouf, and Al Gurayat. As part of the deal, Sener will conduct a detailed analysis of each airport’s traffic patterns, tourism potential, facility requirements, capacity and environmental impact. Also, the study will forecast future demands and assess resource investment needs. Sener has a track record that includes work at more than 190 airports and associated facilities around the world. For example, it was involved in developing the master plan of the New Mexico City International Airport (NAICM), and in the construction project of the Lublin airport in Poland. In Saudi Arabia, where Sener maintains offices in Riyadh, the company has contributed to major projects, including the Riyadh Metro, enhancements to the Red Sea Gate Terminal, and technical studies and consultancy services for the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. Announcing the contract award win, Sener said these updated masterplans will provide Matarat Holding with advanced tools for strategic planning and decision-making, enabling it to support the Saudi national aviation strategy, attract global investment, and enhance the country’s position as a regional and international aviation hub.<br/>
More than 2m passengers are expected to travel via Incheon International Airport during this year's Lunar New Year holidays, data showed Saturday. From Saturday to Feb. 2, the airport expects over 1.04m outbound travelers and more than 1.09m inbound travelers, according to data from Incheon International Airport Corp. submitted to Rep. Jeong Yong-gi of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The airport expects a daily average of around 214,000 passengers during the period, up 12.8% from last year's Lunar New Year. The number of airport travelers is forecast to peak this Saturday with around 227,725. The holiday was originally set to last only three days, as this year's Lunar New Year's Day falls next Wednesday, but the government designated Monday as a temporary national holiday, extending the holiday to six days. (<br/>
Growth is the word on everyone’s lips when it comes to the outlook for Changi Airport in 2025, after the airport narrowly missed out on a full recovery in passenger traffic in 2024. Having handled 67.7m passengers in 2024 – 99.1% of the record 68.3m handled in 2019 – the airport is poised to grab a larger slice of an expanding aviation pie, industry analysts told The Straits Times. Projections are for low single-digit growth in the year ahead. The airport is expected to be buoyed by an economic resurgence in the Asia-Pacific and improved connectivity, with the introduction of new airlines and routes, and increased flight frequencies. As at January, 100 airlines are operating more than 7,400 scheduled flights at Changi each week, linking Singapore to 163 cities in 49 countries and territories. This is close to the scale of the airport’s network in January 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic, when Singapore was linked to more than 170 cities. The aim is to have more than 200 city links by the mid-2030s. But hurdles loom on the horizon that could pose a threat to Changi’s status as a leading hub. Travel analyst Gary Bowerman said travel, tourism and aviation in South-east Asia and across the Asia-Pacific will get highly competitive in 2025. Margins and profits will tighten, and the battle to attract travellers will intensify, added the Kuala Lumpur-based director of tourism consulting firm Check-in Asia.<br/>