Businessman submits plans for alternative third runway at Heathrow
A businessman has submitted plans for a third runway at Heathrow that he claims would be cheaper than the current one being considered.
Hotel entrepreneur Surinder Arora has put his proposal to the government’s public consultation on Heathrow.
His Arora Group’s proposals include changing the design of terminal buildings and taxiways, and reducing the amount of land it is built on.
He claims the scheme would be £5bn cheaper than the current plans, which are expected to cost £17.5bn.
Mr Arora said: "We want passengers to be at the heart of our plans and the current monopoly at Heathrow, which over-charges airlines and in turn raises fares for passengers, is not the right model for the future.
"Heathrow needs competition and innovation which puts passengers and airlines at the heart of the expansion project.
"One of the options we have proposed to government includes a possible shift of the runway so that it does not impact on the M25 and M4, as we know the M25 junction being affected threatens the deliverability of the whole project.
"We appreciate this is a politically sensitive issue but it is merely an option with additional savings of £1.5bn, whereas the rest of our proposals save up to £5.2bn without the need to amend the runway location."
Heathrow said it would consider the plans, and Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, which owns British Airways, welcomed the plans.
He said: "The government should look closely at Arora’s proposal as it would significantly reduce costs," according to the BBC.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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