Heathrow looks at building shorter third runway in bid to cut costs

Heathrow airport is exploring ways to cut the cost of its multibillion pound expansion plan, including whether to build a shorter third runway than originally planned. The airport is preparing a detailed proposal for a third runway to present to the government by the summer, after chancellor Rachel Reeves threw the government’s weight behind airport expansion in a bid to boost economic growth. As part of the process, Heathrow’s management is reviewing whether it should make changes to its previous expansion blueprint to cut costs, people familiar with the matter said. The previous master plan was costed at £14bn in 2014 prices, but was shelved in 2020 when the pandemic struck. A hugely ambitious project, it involved diverting the nearby M25 motorway into a tunnel, demolishing 750 homes, a primary school and an energy plant. Heathrow’s management have said they would like to stick with this “north-west runway” plan, which has been through years of scrutiny and preparation. But the airport is considering all options before making a final decision, one of the people said. One option would be to still expand to the north west, but to build a shorter third runway to avoid the need to divert the M25 motorway through a tunnel. The airport is exploring whether this option is feasible, the person said. One problem is that it could give the airport less operational flexibility, as some aircraft might not be able to use it, depending on its length.<br/>