Heathrow Plans Staged Opening of Third Runway to Cut Costs

(Bloomberg) -- London’s Heathrow airport has unveiled final plans for the development of a third runway as Europe’s busiest hub seeks to boost flights and stay ahead of rival bases in Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

The landing strip should be opened by about 2026, with the full project finished by 2050 as part of a phased addition of capacity to keep airport fees near current levels. The plans also propose an ultra-low-emissions zone, and a 6 1/2-hour ban on scheduled night flights.

The new runway will span the busy M25 highway that circles the U.K. capital. The proposals would see a new carriageway lowered by at least 4 meters (13.1 feet) and going underneath the landing strip, according to public consultation documents released on Tuesday. The airport has worked on plans to avoid costly tunneling by having the strip slope gradually upward to cross the road via a bridge.

The development has been a controversial development for activists and lawmakers, but overcame a bid by environmental groups to block construction last month. A protest planned for Tuesday by the Extinction Rebellion campaign was abandoned over the weekend, the green group said in a statement.

A 12-week consultation opened to the public on Tuesday and the final plans will be put to planning inspectors next year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lucca de Paoli in London at gdepaoli1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Susan Warren, Elisabeth Behrmann

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