Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is her policy that the views of airlines operating long-haul services should be central to determining the necessary length of a third runway at an expanded Heathrow Airport.

As the users of an expanded Heathrow Airport, the views of airlines will be vital for informing the Heathrow Expansion programme. To that end, as part of the invitation for scheme proposals for Heathrow Expansion, the department asked promoters to provide views from airlines on their proposals. The Secretary of State has also met with key senior airline representatives to understand their views.

On 22 October, we formally commenced the review of the ANPS and set out our intention to announce a single scheme to inform the review. Any final details of any scheme, including the runway length, will be considered further as part of the review and by promoters in preparing their DCO applications.

If any amendments are needed as a result of the ANPS review, we will consult on a revised ANPS by next summer which will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide views. In addition, we are also planning to hold stakeholder roundtables during the review, including with airlines.