Heathrow has now submitted its revised business plan to the Civil Aviation Authority.
The plan for the 2014-19 Q6 period would provide a £3bn construction boost after a survey found that the average passenger at Heathrow is willing to see charges rise by £23 over the next five years to fund airport improvements.
Heathrow was facing a cut to £2bn in Q6 under original plans submitted to the CAA.
But a combination of efficiency savings and the willingness of passengers to pay more could see an extra £1bn spent.
The CAA will publish final proposals in October 2013 for consultation before coming to a decision in January 2014.
Heathrow’s spending plans for Q6 include ten priority areas:
New Terminal 2 – Heathrow will open the new Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal in 2014 allowing the closure of Terminal 1 in 2016. The end of Q6 will see the start of work on extending Terminal 2.
Smoother journeys – Heathrow will build more self-service check-in kiosks and introduce new self-service bag drops.
Consistent, courteous service –Heathrow will provide additional customer service training for staff, and introduce mobile staff with tablet computers to provide greater assistance to passengers.
Improved efficiency – Heathrow will deliver £427 million of savings to by improving by retiring old facilities such as Terminal 1; and investing in new facilities, such as self-service bag drops.
Better surface access – Heathrow will extend its innovative personal rapid transport ‘pods’ to link Terminals 2 & 3 with their business car parks. The airport will fund part of the Crossrail project which will link Heathrow to the City of London, Canary Wharf and the East End.
Valued airport products and services – Develop premium retail and additional lounges.
Higher punctuality – New airport management technology and additional runway rapid exit taxiways to help improve punctuality and reliability at Heathrow with an aspirational target of 90% on time performance.
Quicker connections – Reduce the waiting time for transfer security so that 99% of the time passengers wait less than ten minutes. A new integrated baggage system will improve baggage reliability which has already improved from 40 missed bags per thousand passengers in 2007 to 15 per thousand today.
Quieter aircraft – Heathrow will invest in upgraded stands and taxiways that will help to make it the busiest hub for A380s in Europe.
Reduced pollution – Heathrow will increase the provision of pre-conditioned air which allows aircraft to switch off their engines while on the ground.
