Arora Group Submits $33B Heathrow West Alternative
Arora Group has confirmed it has formally submitted its Heathrow West proposal to the UK government, a GBP25 billion (£33 billion) alternative to Heathrow Airport's GBP49 billion expansion and third runway plan. The submission follows the Department for Transport's first-ever request for competing proposals for Heathrow expansion, marking a departure from past practice in which Heathrow itself had exclusivity over development. Arora's proposal, first announced in late July[1], is centered on a new 2,800-m (9,186-ft.) runway and a modernized Terminal 6, to be located west of Terminal 5, with phased opening from 2036.
Arora Group has created a wholly owned company, Heathrow West, to deliver the project in partnership with U.S. construction group Bechtel. Bechtel's track record includes nearly 200 airport projects worldwide, including Doha's Hamad International Airport and the under-construction Western Sydney International Airport. The scheme also involves Scott Brownrigg Architects, Doig+Smith, Haskoning and NACO, with design input from Singapore's Changi Airport.
The Heathrow West proposal is positioned as a lower-cost, lower-risk alternative to Heathrow's own expansion plan, which includes a 3,500-m runway to be built over the M25 motorway. Heathrow's GBP49 billion scheme would require moving and tunneling a section of the motorway--a measure that has attracted criticism from London Mayor Sadiq Khan over costs and disruption. However, Arora's plan avoids building across the M25, which the company argues would allow for faster, less disruptive delivery and a more competitive cost base for airlines.
Instead, the new runway would be 700 m shorter than Heathrow's proposal--but, according to the group, sufficient to meet capacity requirements and government economic growth targets. "We are proud to deliver a highly credible proposal for a shorter runway and more efficient expansion at Heathrow," Arora Group founder and Chairman Surinder Arora says. "This reduces the costs, the delivery timescales and significant construction risks building across the M25 alike." The government's invitation for competing bids followed years of delays and political setbacks for Heathrow expansion.
However, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves in January formally backed plans for a third runway[2] and asked Heathrow to submit a detailed proposal by mid-year. The Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), which underpins planning approval, currently specifies a longer 3,500-m runway east of the M25. Arora is urging ministers to adapt the ANPS to allow competing schemes, such as Heathrow West.
Both Heathrow and Arora say their respective projects could deliver a fully operational runway by 2035.