The government has published its revised planning framework for expansion at Heathrow and signalled further support of Heathrow Airport Ltd's proposal for a third runway.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the House of Commons the government has completed its review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) and published a draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (NPS) yesterday (18 June) as part of its support for the programme.

was submitted in August last year and saw detailed proposals to increase its passenger capacity by 50%, to accommodate up to 150M travellers annually and support 756,000 flights.

The expansion blueprint includes a 3,500m north-western runway with existing parliamentary backing, a brand-new terminal dubbed “T5X”, three additional satellite terminals and substantial upgrades to current facilities.

Heathrow plans to invest £21bn in the new runway and associated airfield infrastructure, £12bn on terminal expansion and £15bn on modernising existing terminals alongside the longer-term closure of Terminal 3.

The government threw its support behind this plan and committed to

Alexander first told parliament the review was necessary during this period stating new environmental and climate obligations have emerged since the ANPS was last completed in 2018.

The designation at the time was subject to multiple legal challenges with both the High Court and Supreme Court were involved in resolving disputes over the NPS’s lawfulness.

More recently, the government said it had reviewed the NPS in light of “significant global, policy and legislative changes”, including new rules introduced through the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 that require national policy statements to be reviewed at least every five years.

The updated statement follows an extended process that began with the Airports Commission’s 2015 recommendation that a new northwest runway at Heathrow offered the strongest case for increasing runway capacity in the South East of the UK.

The commission judged Heathrow’s scheme to deliver the greatest economic benefits compared with other options, including a second runway at Gatwick.

As part of the review, the Department for Transport (DfT) invited proposals from a number of potential developers of Heathrow’s scheme.

Of the seven submissions received, two were shortlisted in October last year and then on 25 November, the government selected the scheme put forward by Heathrow Airport Ltd as the most credible option to inform the NPS.

The new Heathrow Expansion NPS sets out the government’s expectation that any application will provide a complete northwest runway scheme, including a new runway, terminal capacity and supporting infrastructure.

However, it has accepted the project’s scale and complexity will make a phased delivery likely.

Heathrow Airport Ltd is identified as the statutory undertaker of carrying out the work needed for expansion in the draft statement, putting a halt to all other proposals.

In May,

The draft policy statement sets out the planning policy against which any future application to expand Heathrow would be judged but it does not grant development consent or approve any particular scheme.

Heathrow’s proposal will still require a Development Consent Order (DCO) and independent examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

The government says the NPS review has applied four tests which cover climate change, noise, air quality and “economic growth across the country”.

These statement policies discuss how any scheme being brought forward must meet “robust” requirements in these areas but the statement does not set out detailed mitigation measures. It says these will be tested in forthcoming planning examinations and in any legal challenges that follow.

The four tests further state any expansion plans must:

The NPS applies solely to Heathrow where the government has said it has not reopened the question of where new south east airport and runway capacity should be located.

However, the updated draft statement has put some degree of focus on whether the case for additional “hub” capacity at Heathrow could fulfil the need for greater airport capacity in the future.

Alongside the draft policy statement being published, a consultation will run for just over 10 weeks and close on 1 September.

The government also published an accompanying “surface access vision”, requiring promoters to show how additional passenger demand would be accommodated on the transport network and how any necessary road and rail improvements would be delivered.

An updated appraisal of sustainability, habitats regulations assessment and other supporting documents were released alongside the draft statement.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is currently developing the regulatory framework that would apply to any future expansion, with a focus on affordability, financeability, cost efficiency and consumer protection.

It is expected to publish its final decisions on early cost recovery and a preferred regulatory model this summer, Alexander said in her speech to parliament.

The government is also advancing an airspace modernisation programme and plans to publish updated air navigation directions and guidance “shortly”,