The British government's decision to give the green light to the construction of a third runway at London Heathrow airport should be seen in the context of post-Brexit Britain. The UK's planned exit from the European Union has in fact become an opportunity for Europe's leading airport in terms of passenger numbers. The slogan " Britain, Open for Business "("Britain Open for Business") is a series of announcements designed to show that the country is more open than ever to the rest of the world.
And of course, Heathrow tops the list. The platform, which welcomed 74.9 million passengers in 2015 (+2.2% compared with 2014), has been suffering from extreme saturation for years. According to Willi Walsh, Chairman of IAG, the group that incorporates British Airways, Heathrow's capacity is used to the tune of 98%, compared with 71% for Roissy CDG airport, by way of comparison.
The future runway will measure 3,500 metres - instead of 2,200 metres in the 2009 version of the third runway. It will also be located further west than in the original plan, which will make it possible to reduce noise and pollution over London. The runway is due to come into service in 2025. The new runway should make it possible toincrease the number of aircraft movements per year by more than 50%. While Heathrow recorded 474,000 aircraft movements in 2015, the hub will be able to handle up to 740,000 movements with the third runway, a figure that will make the airport as attractive as its close neighbours Amsterdam, Paris CDG and Frankfurt.
Heathrow should be able to link up with 40 additional intercontinental cities from 2025 onwards
Above all, according to calculations by the airport authorities, the new runway should enable Heathrow to be linked to 40 additional intercontinental cities from 2025, including many secondary cities in China, such as Chongqing or Wuhan, but also to cities that are not yet linked to the British capital. This is the case for Quito, Santiago de Chile, Osaka, Penang, Dakar, Durban and Salt Lake City.
The airport authority is already proclaiming loud and clear that these 40 new destinations will enable Heathrow to to become THE global hub par excellenceThe airport has no equivalent in the rest of Europe. The British authorities stress that the airport should also serve as a real engine for economic growth, creating 180,000 jobs and generating revenue equivalent to 211 billion pounds. What's more, most of the development work on the future track will be carried out by British firms. Another promise for the future". radiant "The government's predicted post-Brexit situation...
