The Arora Group accepts today’s announcement by the UK Government, stating its preference for a longer runway at an expanded Heathrow instead of our own Heathrow West plans. We welcome the Government not having chosen a promoter for the scheme and that the option for a  promoter other than Heathrow Airport Limited remains possible. It’s imperative there is a clear and transparent process for selecting a promoter to ensure it best serves the interests of consumers.

Our main driver for an alternative runway proposal was to avoid the M25 and bring down both risks and costs of the expansion scheme. However that decision has now been made and we are firm supporters of expansion so will back its progress. We are now reviewing how our plans will be adjusted to the longer runway scheme with the intention that we commence our own Development Consent Order.

Aside from the runway length, we have long argued that regulatory reform and the introduction of competition at Heathrow Airport is absolutely imperative to keep costs under control at the airport. If competition is not delivered via an alternative scheme for the runway, it must still come via the upcoming CAA review of Heathrow Airport’s regulation. Heathrow Airport has the most expensive charges in the world and adding HAL’s proposed costs of expansion to these already high costs jeopardises the future of the airport as a globally competitive hub, and its ability to aide the UK’s economic growth agenda.

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