Heathrow's new runway delayed until at least 2028

[snoop1130]

Heathrow's new runway delayed until at least 2028

 

FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines airplane takes off from Heathrow airport in London July 3, 2014. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - An expansion plan for Britain’s Heathrow Airport will be delayed by more than a year and a third runway now will probably be completed between early 2028 and late 2029, the airport said.

 

The delay came after Britain’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, said the airport could not increase its spending on early construction costs to ensure that the runway was built by the end of 2026, as it wanted.

 

The CAA said it was in the best interests of consumers for Heathrow to spend more than 1.6 billion pounds on early construction, rejecting the airport’s 2.4 billion-pound plan.

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opposed Heathrow’s expansion, but parliament has approved the 14 billion-pound plans, which include building the first full-length new runway in the London area for 70 years.

 

The expansion plan is also opposed by climate change protesters and some local residents. It is being challenged in the courts.

 

The CAA said that limiting costs to 1.6 billion pounds was in the best interests of passengers, who could end up footing the bill through higher airport charges if Heathrow does not win planning permission.

 

“While we recognise the potential benefit to consumers of the runway opening being as early as possible, we are also mindful of the risks associated with sunk costs,” the CAA said in a report published on Thursday.

 

It said that an independent surveyor had called Heathrow’s plan to open a new runway by 2026 a schedule which is “in all likelihood too aggressive”.

 

Heathrow called the CAA’s report “an important milestone” but said it would result in the delay.

 

“The CAA has delayed the project timetable by at least 12 months. We now expect to complete the third runway between early 2028 and late 2029,” a spokesman for the airport said.

 

Heathrow Airport is owned by Ferrovial (FER.MC), Qatar Investment Authority and China Investment Corp, among others.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-20

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[cyril sneer]

13 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The expansion plan is also opposed by climate change protesters

I support the expansion plan

[DaRoadrunner]

How is it the Thais seem to be able to construct mega projects in a short time, while the Brits have been talking about Heathrow for yonks with nothing done?

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

How is it the Thais seem to be able to construct mega projects in a short time, while the Brits have been talking about Heathrow for yonks with nothing done?

They start with politicians buying up the land around the proposed site before announcing the plans.

[Chomper Higgot]

LHR expansion was a case study in the failures of public planning when I was a student back in the 80s.

[Scott]

Troll posts removed. 

 

[Proboscis]

14 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

They start with politicians buying up the land around the proposed site before announcing the plans.

Oh, I thought that the delay was because the Prime Minister (UK) was carrying out his promise to lie in front of the bulldozers!

[stevenl]

8 minutes ago, Proboscis said:

Oh, I thought that the delay was because the Prime Minister (UK) was carrying out his promise to lie in front of the bulldozers!

He can't, he is lying dead in a ditch already.

[DefaultName]

Bring back the Boris Island plans, I always thought that was a winner.

 

For the non-Brits, that was the creation of a massive new island in the Thames estuary and building a brand new airport on it.  It would have made Heathrow & Gatwick airports pretty much redundant while keeping the noise & congestion well out of London - new Motorway & rail, tunnel to central London (hello Elon!).

[Thingamabob]

1 hour ago, DefaultName said:

Bring back the Boris Island plans, I always thought that was a winner.

 

For the non-Brits, that was the creation of a massive new island in the Thames estuary and building a brand new airport on it.  It would have made Heathrow & Gatwick airports pretty much redundant while keeping the noise & congestion well out of London - new Motorway & rail, tunnel to central London (hello Elon!).

Agreed. The Thames Estuary proposal was/is an excellent idea.

[stevenl]

2 hours ago, DefaultName said:

Bring back the Boris Island plans, I always thought that was a winner.

 

For the non-Brits, that was the creation of a massive new island in the Thames estuary and building a brand new airport on it.  It would have made Heathrow & Gatwick airports pretty much redundant while keeping the noise & congestion well out of London - new Motorway & rail, tunnel to central London (hello Elon!).

More countries have similar plans. Problem is financing, but IMO these plans would solve quite a few problems.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 12/21/2019 at 12:34 AM, snoop1130 said:

The expansion plan is also opposed by climate change protesters and some local residents. It is being challenged in the courts.

"SOME local residents"

Is someone taking the <deleted>.

Heathrow should be closed and a new airport built on southeast and west coasts. The money they'd get from selling the land would pay for it. The amount of jet fuel wasted from the coast to Heathrow must be monumental.

A high speed train from London to each airport would solve the getting there problem.

[ThreeEyedRaven]

22 hours ago, Proboscis said:

Oh, I thought that the delay was because the Prime Minister (UK) was carrying out his promise to lie in front of the bulldozers!

Oh, I thought the UK Prime Minister had already proven that he is ready to lie in front of anyone.

[Pedrogaz]

I suppose the construction "rule" applies here i.e. public projects are delayed by 50% or more over the pre-construction estimates; and the costs is increased 3 fold.

 

Then, when it is finally built, the government flog the asset off to their mates in the City at cents on the dollar, telling us that the new private owners will be making necessary investments (which never materialize); all the while getting contracts they don't fulfill year after year, getting guaranteed increases in profit over inflation.