Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department's reviews into the a) economics and b) environmental impacts of Heathrow expansion are seeking external expert input.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department’s review into the economic and environmental impacts of Heathrow expansion includes both internal and external expert input.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support, including business rates relief, direct financial assistance, or other fiscal measures, is being offered to regional airports in England; and how this compares to the support provided to Heathrow and Gatwick.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. It is not possible for the Government to quantify, and therefore keep a record of, support received by airport, given different airports are subject to different regulatory and policy measures and vary greatly in size.
The government recognises the crucial role regional airports play in supporting thousands of local jobs, connecting communities to global opportunities, and strengthening social and economic ties across the four nations.
My department regularly engages with regional airports including through the Aviation Council, which includes a Regional Connectivity Working Group chaired by industry.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are examining road access issues relating to the south, south-west and west regions in considering the future of the Heathrow Express service; and whether those considerations will cover the optimal public transport solutions for an expanded Heathrow Airport.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the vital role that surface access will play as part of any future expansion of Heathrow Airport. As part of the review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), launched on 22 October 2025, we will consider the transport infrastructure required to support a third runway. This will include rail and road connectivity, alongside public transport mode share targets and will consider the impacts for travellers from different regions. While it would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the ANPS review at this stage, it will be the responsibility of any expansion promoter to set out a surface access strategy demonstrating how they will meet the requirements set out in the ANPS.
My department is currently considering the future ownership structure of the Heathrow Express, and a decision will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has she made of requiring (a) regulatory and (b) policy frameworks to be in place before the Heathrow third runway project can proceed to its next phase.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will commission an independent financial review of the feasibility of Heathrow expansion.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that any scheme for Heathrow expansion is deliverable and affordable. Last year, the Government undertook a comparative assessment of the proposals, on its individual merits against the published criteria, which included financial considerations. Since this is a private sector project, it is for the potential promoters to develop and finance expansion proposals, and to demonstrate that any scheme is financially viable.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has discussed with representatives of Heathrow Airport extending the number of boroughs that benefit from Heathrow Community Trust.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No discussions have taken place with representatives of Heathrow Airport regarding extending the number of boroughs that benefit from the Heathrow Community Trust. The Trust is an independent grant‑making charity with its own governance and established criteria for determining its geographical focus. Any decisions about altering its scope are matters for the Trust and its board, rather than for ministers.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many non-military flights landed at (a) Heathrow (b) RAF Northolt in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Data on aircraft movements at UK airports is collected and published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). CAA aircraft movement data includes a ‘military’ category, but a split between arriving and departing flights is not provided.
Although Royal Air Force (RAF) Northolt does handle some civil flight movements, this is an RAF establishment, and data on aircraft movements at RAF Northolt is not collected by the CAA.
Data on the total number of aircraft movements at Heathrow, split by military and non-military, is provided in Table 03_1 of the annual CAA airport data publication and reproduced as Table 1 below. The last three complete years for which figures are available are 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Table 1: Aircraft movements at Heathrow Airport split by military and non-military
Year | Military | Non-military | Total |
2022 | 0 | 380,305 | 380,305 |
2023 | 7 | 456,593 | 456,600 |
2024 | 5 | 476,114 | 476,119 |
Note: Non-military category includes commercial, test and training, private, official and business aviation movements.
Source: https://www.caa.co.uk/data-and-analysis/uk-aviation-market/airports/uk-airport-data/
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a third runway on communities close to Heathrow.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) sets out the mitigations a promoter must provide to minimise the impact of the project on the environment and affected communities. The review of the ANPS will consider if any changes are required to the existing mitigations. We will consult on any proposed amendments to the ANPS in summer 2026, and communities will have the chance to express their views.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department meet with representatives from Heathrow Airport prior to the Chancellor's announcement of the Government's support for a third runway at Heathrow in January 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Heathrow Airport is a key stakeholder for a range of aviation and transport policy areas, and it is routine for officials to engage with airport operators and other industry stakeholders as part of the Department’s ongoing work. My officials continue to meet with representatives of Heathrow Airport regularly to discuss a range of issues.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 45555 on Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control, which road links within 10 miles of Heathrow airport exceeded 20 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The results of the UK’s air quality assessment for 2024 are published online on the UK-Air website (https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/). Local authorities are expected to publish the data from their locally managed nitrogen dioxide measurement networks on their websites.