Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of Heathrow Airport’s North West Runway scheme.

In 2015 Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) submitted a scheme which the Airports Commission assessed would cost £17.6 billion. Following this the Secretary of State set out his ambition for landing charges to remain close to current levels. Subsequently, the Government commissioned the regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, to oversee and report on the quality of engagement between HAL and its airline customers. This process has proved successful. HAL have reported a reduction in scheme costs by up to £2.5 billion against the scheme they submitted.