Heathrow urged to trim plans

British Airways parent IAG wants Heathrow Airport to scrap plans for a runway to span London’s orbital highway.

The proposal could add £3bn to costs and extending Heathrow’s third landing strip across the M25 highway would complicate the project and cause traveller delays, IAG CEO Willie Walsh said on Wednesday.

A shorter 3.2km runway rather than the planned 3.5km would be adequate for flights and should allow the London hub to maintain charges to carriers at the existing level or even to reduce them, Walsh said.

“Airlines were never consulted on the runway length,” he said.