Arora Group unveils enhanced Heathrow West expansion plan

The Arora Group has submitted updated proposals for its Heathrow West expansion scheme, claiming significant advantages over rival plans from Heathrow Airport Limited as the government prepares to make a final decision by the end of November.

In the revised submission, published on 17 November, key technical improvements to the £23billion proposal were revealed. Engineers have confirmed that the M4 Spur carriageway will not need to be lowered during construction, adding to the scheme's earlier advantage of avoiding disruption to the M25 motorway entirely. 

Heathrow West's design centres on a new Terminal 6 positioned west of the existing Terminal 5, featuring a 2,800-metre runway that the company says can handle 99.3% of aircraft movements across a three-runway system. The proposal claims to deliver annual capacity exceeding 756,000 air traffic movements – more than 16,000 above current requirements.

The Arora Group estimates its scheme would cost approximately 30% less than Heathrow Airport Limited's alternative, potentially saving £10 billion and reducing charges for airlines and passengers. The company attributes these savings to its "outside-in" construction methodology, which uses a single site access point to minimise the construction footprint.

Surinder Arora, founder and chairman of the Arora Group, described the moment as "once in a generation", emphasising that expansion need not disrupt major motorways. Carlton Brown, CEO of Heathrow West Limited, suggested the proposal demonstrates that transforming Heathrow into a world-class facility is achievable without the delays that have plagued previous expansion attempts.

The project involves international partners including Bechtel, Scott Brownrigg Architects, and Air Navigation Solutions.