ASIAN entrepreneur and hotel tycoon Surinder Arora has urged the government to back his alternative plan for a third runway at Heathrow, saying it could be delivered by 2035 without the delays anticipated with the airport’s own expansion scheme.
Arora, founder and chairman of the Arora hotel, property and construction group, told the Telegraph his £25 billion proposal could meet the government’s previous 2035 target, after Heathrow said its planned third runway could now be delayed until 2039.
The businessman’s proposal would involve a shorter 2,400-metre runway and would avoid building over the M25, unlike Heathrow’s £49bn expansion plan, which includes a 3,500-metre runway and major infrastructure work.
“We have a project that is deliverable, affordable, meets the government’s timelines and works for the airlines,” Arora was quoted as saying.
He also criticised Heathrow’s current plans, arguing the airport’s latest delay supported his concerns about whether its proposed scheme could meet the 2035 deadline.
“I very much hope now they can see that Heathrow has been saying for the past two years isn’t deliverable,” he told the newspaper. “No one can deliver that project over the M25 by 2035.”
Heathrow said its focus remained on securing planning permission by 2029, after which it expects the runway to open within a decade.
The airport previously described 2035 as an ambitious target that would have required significant changes to regulations and government policy. Arora’s comments come as prime minister Andy Burnham last week declined to immediately back Heathrow’s third runway, saying the issue should principally be decided with the views of people living around the airport taken into account.
“I think, principally, it’s a matter for London,” Burnham told the BBC during the Labour Party conference. “You’ve got to hear the voice of people there first.”
Arora called on the government to maintain support for expanding Heathrow’s capacity, arguing the project was important not only for passengers but also for Britain’s international connections and competitiveness.
“As a nation, we want growth and the expansion. Not just for holidaymakers, but for the connectivity with the rest of the world,” he said.
“We don’t want to be left behind and not be competitive in the world.”
Arora has not yet met Burnham, but said he is planning meetings with the prime minister and his team in early October.
