BA owner warns MPs not to trust Heathrow over expansion plans
Airlines are calling on MPs not to give the go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow unless the airport guarantees it won’t lead to higher landing charges.
Heathrow has said that it is confident it will be able to keep fees close to the current levels of around £22 per passenger, but Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA parent IAG, told a Commons’ Transport Select Committee that he had ‘zero’ confidence in the airport.
"What they are saying is, ‘Trust us. Just give us the approval to build this and we will deliver on time and on budget’.
"I don’t trust them and you shouldn’t trust them either," said Walsh.
He said he wanted Heathrow to give a guarantee that passenger charges will not increase, rather than ‘loose wording’.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger told the committee that he was also concerned over Heathrow’s budget for the third runway and called on the airport to promise that passenger charges would not rise if the cost goes up.
He said: "(Heathrow) has the most information about how likely the costs are to be deliverable and they should bear the risk of their estimate being grossly off target."
EasyJet UK director Sophie Dekkers said the airline ‘would want a commitment’ that passenger charges will remain close to current levels.
Flybe’s Simon McNamara said while the airline would like to grow at Heathrow to help drive domestic connections, it could ‘take it or leave it’ and simply will not expand ‘if the costs don’t work’.
Heathrow said late last year that it had identified savings of £2.5 billion, bringing the cost of the third runway down to £14.3 billion.
Transport secretary Chris Grayling said the government aims to approve plans for the new runway at Heathrow within the next four months, subject to consultation work and winning the backing of parliament.
Heathrow aims to have the third runway operational by 2025.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements