Arora Group reveals updated Heathrow West third runway development proposal
The group behind the Heathrow West expansion plan for the UK hub airport has released further details of its proposal ahead of submitting a formal plan next year.
Arora Group is working with experts from technic al advisor Bechtel and has the backing of a number of key airlines and other stakeholders including IAG, Virgin Atlantic, IATA, Heathrow AOC, and Swissport.
The group claims its proposal that involves a phased approach to constructing a third runway, will deliver increased capacity sooner and at lower cost than rival plans.
Arora has called for a formal, rules based framework to govern how competing rival schemes will be assessed, and says it will submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) application in November 2027.
In an announcement released today, Arora Group said: “Industry stakeholders are increasingly aligned and positive in their view that the HWL scheme is credible and accelerates delivery of a third runway – in line with the Government’s ambitions – and also retains a disciplined focus on affordability, operational realism, and constructive engagement with airline customers.”
The proposed scheme builds on the runway plan submitted by Arora in 2025. The UK government rejected that plan that would have relocated the third runway further east and the new scheme has been amended accordingly.
Arora claims a phased plan would address “many of the risks associated with an all or nothing approach to airport expansion” and the first phase could be operational by 2035. An initial 2,400 metre runway would avoid moving the M25 and other high-risk infrastructure work needed to build a longer runway.
This initial phase will allow for extending the new runway in the future and the scheme also includes a new Terminal 6, with a capacity of 40 million passengers annually located to the west of Terminal 5, designed to minimise land use and preserve green belt.
Arora said: “The HWL plans are a significant step towards getting Heathrow expansion capital spending under control. However, comprehensive regulatory reform as proposed by the Heathrow Reimagined campaign is still needed to ensure that capex efficiency, opex efficiency and commercial revenues are maximised across the airport to prevent avoidable rises to airline and passenger charges.”
Surinder Arora, Founder and Chairman of the Arora Group, said: “We have committed significant time and resource to producing our latest plans to ensure that they are highly credible, in line with the government’s objectives and offering better value to airlines and passengers. We will continue to engage fully with airlines and other stakeholders as we prepare to submit for planning.”
Arora’s demand to the UK government and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for a framework to assess competing schemes for Heathrow expansion included demand for:
- A centralised data room ensuring equal and timely access to key technical, operational, and financial information;
- Common planning, design, and demand assumptions applied consistently across all proposals;
- Independent cost scrutiny and benchmarking, using agreed methodologies;
- Standardised evaluation criteria, including affordability, financeability, and deliverability;
- Structured and ongoing airline engagement embedded throughout;
- Clear governance and regulatory oversight led by the CAA.
Luis Gallego, IAG chief executive, said: “The two-phase approach proposed by Heathrow West is a credible option, with the potential to cap costs for passengers and deliver the benefits of expansion as soon as possible for the UK. We think it is worth further development and should be carefully considered by the UK Government.”
And Corneel Koster, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic added: “At Virgin Atlantic, we have always championed competition and choice. The Heathrow West third runway scheme is credible and should be considered by UK Government as a viable option in the ANPS. Any approach that delivers affordable expansion, to the benefit of consumers, the UK aviation sector and UK economy, is welcomed.”
Willie Walsh, the outgoing IATA director-general, also expressed his backing for the Arora plan: “The industry has been clear: Heathrow expansion must be deliverable, financeable, and affordable.
“Arora is the only party to engage seriously with those constraints in a practical way. This is not theoretical planning; it is a scheme being built with real-world delivery in mind”.
“With competing proposals now in play, this is unequivocally a competitive process. It is essential that Government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) move swiftly to establish a formal, rules-based framework to govern how these schemes are developed and assessed.”
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