Heathrow third runway in doubt after Court of Appeal ruling

Plans for a third runway are in doubt after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government’s decision to give the go-ahead to the project was unlawful.

The case was brought by environmental groups and the Mayor of London.

However, the Court of Appeal said that in future a third runway could go ahead, as long as it fits with the UK’s climate commitments.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeal said the government had a duty to take the Paris climate agreement into account.

In response, a Heathrow spokesperson said: “The Court of Appeal dismissed all appeals against the government – including on ‘noise’ and ‘air quality’ – apart from one which is eminently fixable.  We will appeal to the Supreme Court on this one issue and are confident that we will be successful.  In the meantime, we are ready to work with the government to fix the issue that the court has raised.  Heathrow has taken a lead in getting the UK aviation sector to commit to a plan to get to Net Zero emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Accord. Expanding Heathrow, Britain’s biggest port and only hub, is essential to achieving the prime minister’s vision of Global Britain.  We will get it done the right way, without jeopardising the planet’s future. Let’s get Heathrow done.”

Following the decision, development firm Arora group argued that its plan for an alternative new terminal to serve Heathrow West would be a “quicker and greener” solution.

An Arora spokesperson said: “We believe our own plans to design, develop and operate Heathrow West  – a new terminal servicing the new runway – will revolutionise the airport and ensure an expanded Heathrow is efficient and cost effective versus the expensive and inefficient plans put forward by Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL).

“Crucially, with the ability to deliver the fully expanded airport 18 years earlier than HAL and in requiring significantly less land take, the environmental impact of our plans will be streets ahead.”