Heathrow Expansion Information

After many years of debate and uncertainty as to which airport was going to get the green light from the UK government, it was announced on the 25th of October 2016 that Heathrow is the government’s choice for expansion. As of 2022, Heathrow Airport is currently consulting with the government, investors, airline customs and regulators. 

In order for the newly proposed northeast runway to comfortably operate with any aircraft in the world, plans are expected for it to be 2 miles long. The London-based airport is expected to almost double the amount of passengers that they currently deal with each year from around 80.1 million to 130 million by 2040, whilst the number of flights will also see a huge increase, from around 470,000 per year to 740,000 per year. Improved flight numbers mean that Heathrow will start to compete with the likes of large airport giants such as; Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.

heathrow post

Changes at the airport

  • As part of a long-term plan, Heathrow airport are looking to make extended improvements to Terminal 2, while linking T2, T5 and the future T6 with an underground passenger transit and baggage system.
  • To double the operating capacity of cargo facilities.
  • Extra land to be used for office and hotel expansion in order to accommodate the passenger growth.

Transport improvements

  • Heathrow will be better connected to Central and East London with a new Crossrail link.
  • Bus and Coach interchange at Heathrow will be expanded and linked to 5 different motorway networks.
  • Better access to Western Rail will improve connections to the West and South West.
  • HS2 connection with Old Oak Common will provide a faster option to and from the Midlands and the North.
  • Heathrow will see its rail capacity treble from 18-40 trains an hour.

Possible future long haul destinations

Continent

Cities

Estimated Flight Time
Africa

Dakar, Port Harcourt, Khartoum, Mombasa, Lilongwe, Harare, Durban

8 hours, 11 minutes
North America

Portland, Salt Lake City, San Jose, San Antonio, Panama City

10 hours, 12 minutes
South America

Caracas, Bogotá, Quito, Lima, Santiago, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte

11 hours, 45 minutes
Asia

Baghdad, Dammam, Peshewar, Goa, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Chongqing, Hanoi, Wuhan, Fuzhou, Nanjing, Nagoya, Osaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Penang, Jakarta, Denpasar-Bali

10 hours, 32 minutes
Oceania (Australia)
Perth, Brisbane
19 hours, 15 minutes

Possible future short-haul destinations

UK routes (Including Channel Islands)

European routes

Non-European routes
Isle Of Man, Inverness, Dundee, Prestwick, Carlisle, Durham Tees, Liverpool, Humberside, Doncaster, Norwich, Londonderry, Jersey, Guernsey

Almeria, Bordeaux, Crete, Innsbruck, Lanzarote, Montpellier, Nantes, Naples, Paphos, Seville, Tenerife, Thessaloniki, Valencia, Verona

Marrakesh, Sharm El-Sheikh