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 2025, Heathrow Airport is supported by the government and the expansion is expected to start as soon as the airport fully recovers from COVID-19.

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 84 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.

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Future Expansion Plans for Heathrow Airport

  • New Terminal Development – A new terminal building west of Terminal 5, with Terminal 3 set for demolition to make way for additional satellite terminals.
  • Improved Transport Links – New public transport hubs and streamlined parking facilities for better connectivity.
  • Enhanced Surface Access – Increased access to the airport, leveraging upcoming railway upgrades in the area.
  • Community Support – Comprehensive compensation schemes and measures to reduce local impact.
  • Increased Flight Capacity – Plans to accommodate an additional 260,000 flights per year.

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