Map reveals where third Heathrow Airport runway will expand over M25

A map reveals where Heathrow will expand after the government gave a green light to the airport’s growth.

The UK’s busiest airport will get a third runway and a new terminal after confirmation by Chancellor Rachel Reeves last month.

Airport bosses have been pushing for the expansion for years, arguing that Heathrow’s capacity is full. They said the £14 billion expansion is needed to add 260,000 flights.

Thomas Woldbye, the chief executive of Heathrow, will unveil a multibillion-pound investment to upgrade Terminals 2 and 5, reconfigure the layout of the airfield and boost bus and coach connections ahead of the third runway.

The upgrade – funded entirely by private investment – will come ahead of Heathrow submitting its final plan for the third runway for approval from the government.

It was announced just hours after some of the UK’s biggest airlines launched a coordinated attack against Heathrow, calling for improvement for passengers and operators due to declining quality.

Many residents are against the expansion as homes and businesses near the airport’s safety perimeter face demolition, with up to 700 buildings at risk. Environmental campaigners are concerned over increased noise and pollution.

Here is a map showing what areas will be covered by the new Heathrow runway and terminal.

Map shows Heathrow Airport expansion

The third runway will swallow up parts of Harmondsworth in Hillingdon north of the airport.

It will stretch from Sipson through Harmondsworth and over the M25 near Colnbrook in Slough, Berkshire.

Part of the M25 will be diverted into a tunnel to cut underneath the runway.

Harmondsworth is dotted with hundreds of homes, a primary school, pubs and a moor alongside industrial parks and the British Airways corporate offices.

Reaction to Heathrow announcement

Campaigners have been up in arms about the plan since it was first introduced in 2009.

Alethea Warrington, the head of aviation at climate charity Possible, accused the expansions catering only for ‘a small group of frequent flyers who take most of the flights.’

She said the move would be a ‘catastrophic misstep’ for the government.

Residents have vowed to continue fighting the plan despite the go-ahead.

Justine Bayley, the chair of Stop Heathrow Expansion and a resident of Harmondsworth, told Metro said the government failed to give any of the ‘downsides,’ adding that the Chancellor gave ‘fairly meaningless assurances that all environmental aspects will be met.’

She said she has seen ‘all sort of threats coming and going’ during her 30 years of living in the village and that the residents would continue their fight against the expansion.

Ms Bayley said the country has ‘managed a fair bit of growth without the additional runway.’

‘It is not a magic wand for growth,’ she said.

It took until 2020 for the plan to get an official go-ahead by the Supreme Court.

The Chancellor said the move will help boost UK economic growth, but campaigners have said the expansion will cause more aircraft noise for local residents.

However, some people have expressed support for the plan, including Jerry Dyer from Big Jet TV, a popular YouTube channel live streaming plane landings at Heathrow in storms.

He said the runway could work if the size of the aircraft allowed to use the third runway is limited, comparing it to the latest runway built at Frankfurt Airport.

Jerry said modern planes are ‘quiet’ compared to the ‘old days’ when they were ‘screaming.’

He questioned why people would live near a runway if they are opposed to the noise, although he recognised that they might have lived there ‘all their lives.’

‘But if they’ve lived there all their lives, they’ll appreciate how quiet aviation is now.’

However, he said the decision is ‘difficult’ due to homes and ‘wildlife as well.’

Colne Valley Regional Park said it is ‘fiercely opposed’ to the expansion, claiming that it would result in the ‘unprecedented environmental destruction’ and loss of swathes of the park located near northwest of the airport.

The group said that five rivers would need to be diverted along with the M25 and local road changes.

Independent advisers on the Government’s Climate Change Committee recommend there should be ‘no net airport expansion across the UK.’

The UK is committed to reaching net zero for CO2 emissions by 2050.

Chancellor Reeves argued in her speech that growth does not need to mean compromising the net zero target, saying that the Heathrow expansion is ‘badly needed.’

The expansion has caused division in the government, with Ed Miliband spending years campaigning against the project.

But Mr Miliband has now made a U-turn and backed the third runway proposal. He told Metro last week why he will not resign over it, saying ‘there’s so much to fight for now.’

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has said he has reservations over the expansion despite describing himself as ‘somebody who’s pro aviation sector.’

He told Metro previously that there is a ‘long way to go until runway three happens’ and that Heathrow will first have to put forward its final plan.

‘They’ve got to address the issues of who pays for the M25 to be tunneled, for the A4 to be rerouted, for the Piccadilly line, Elizabeth line and Southern rail to be expanded. We’re talking about an airport now that’s one of the busiest in the world, so let’s see and wait what Heathrow comes up with,’ he said.

When will Heathrow’s third runway open?

It will take years before the third runway will be operational as the planning process will take up to two years until anything is built.

The third Heathrow runway is not expected to open until the 2030s.

Mr Woldbye said Heathrow will submit plans for the expansion this summer.

Will Gatwick and Luton Airports expand?

The Chancellor did not confirm the future of the Gatwick and Luton airport expansion, saying that the transport secretary will make an announcement on them in due course.

Gatwick bosses want to bring the airport’s northern runway into ‘routine’ use, saying it will bring £1 billion to the UK economy and create 14,000 jobs.

The additional northern runway is said to be ‘shovel ready’ as it is currently used as a standby strip.

Luton Airport, owned by Luton Borough Council, is proposing to increase its capacity from 18 million to 32 million passengers.

Doncaster Airport in South Yorkshire is set to be reopened to create a transport hub ‘city,’ the Chancellor said.

Meanwhile, Stansted and London City airport expansions have already been approved, although City will have to stick to its Saturday flight ban.

This article was first published on January 29.

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