Following the UK Department of Transport’s first-ever request for competing proposals to expand Heathrow Airport, the Arora Group has made its submission.
Arora has created a dedicated and wholly owned company, Heathrow West Limited, that will work with delivery partner Bechtel, a global leader in airport engineering and construction. Notable examples of Bechtel’s projects include Hamad International Airport, Western Sydney International Airport and longstanding participation in London airports.
Bechtel was recently announced as King Salman International Airport Development Company’s delivery partner for three new terminals at the Riyadh hub and as capital portfolio partner for Perth Airport. As part of Alterra Partners, a consortium with Singapore Changi Airport, Bechtel also served as airport owner and developer managing airport concessions and expansions at London Luton Airport, Jorge Chávez Airport, Juan Santamaría Airport and Curaçao Airport.
Other Heathrow West partners of note include Scott Brownrigg Architects, Doig+Smith, Haskoning and NACO. The group says it will also work with Changi Airport to ensure “the best passenger experience in the world”.
The proposal comprises a new modernized terminal – Terminal 6 – situated west of the existing Terminal 5, and a signature 2.8km runway delivering for airlines, passengers and cargo to deliver the economic growth ambition set out by the government.
According to Arora, key benefits include: reduced land take and lower disruption to local residents and businesses; the potential for an integrated and expanded public transportation hub, enabling higher levels of sustainable travel; a stronger business case, delivering cost-efficiency benefits to passengers, freight forwarders, retail businesses and airlines; simpler and less disruptive construction, enabling earlier delivery of new terminal capacity and avoiding the major disruption of building over the M25 highway; and a constructive, collaborative approach to working with airlines, passengers and local communities and businesses on environmental improvements.
“After a decade working with our world-leading design and delivery team, I am very proud that the Arora Group can finally unveil to the UK government our Heathrow West proposal, which directly meets and supports the United Kingdom’s primary objective of unlocking economic growth at the UK’s only hub airport, with a strong commitment of doing so on budget and on time,” said Surinder Arora, founder and chairman of the Arora Group.
“I am so proud to stand alongside Bechtel, and their record of delivering almost 200 airport projects, on these detailed plans. The Heathrow West proposal delivers squarely on the Secretary of State’s and Chancellor’s ambition to obtain planning permission by the end of this Parliament, with a fully operational runway by 2035. The Arora Group has a proven track record of delivering on time and on budget, including projects in and around Heathrow Airport. We are delighted that the government has taken a common-sense approach to invite proposals from all interested parties for the very first time rather than granting exclusivity to the current airport operator, no matter its track record. I want the UK to succeed. To do this, the UK government’s Plan for Change needs to succeed, and we want to play our part in making this happen. Our project will generate employment and skills training opportunities across every region of the UK.”
“The setting up of a wholly owned and dedicated business to expand Heathrow will enable us to dedicate the time and focus needed with a wide range of stakeholders, not least airlines, communities and business,” added Carlton Brown, CEO of Heathrow West. “Heathrow West will have a board that comprises members with proven track records in governance, finance, construction, aviation and sustainability. Furthermore, Heathrow West will be committed to working with airlines to adapt its design to ensure it provides value for money and operational resilience while promoting technological innovation. Ultimately, I want to see Heathrow help Britain become the best-connected nation in the world and facilitate the trade and inward investment our UK economy needs in order to compete with the rest of the world. There is no reason why the UK’s only hub cannot outcompete not just its European rivals but also Dubai, Singapore and others.”
Delivering on cost, sustainability and time
With a shorter runway, efficient construction program, fewer dependencies and a clear path to site mobilization, the Arora Group says the evidence provided in the submission strongly suggests that this scheme, and the new runway in particular, can be delivered in the target timeframe established by the government – if not sooner – while offering a more acceptable and cost-effective solution.
Heathrow West has gone to great lengths to reduce its total construction footprint and will target a BREEAM Excellent sustainability rating for the construction and operational phases of the project. Its sustainability strategy harnesses innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions, protect the green belt, restore the local river and protect local communities through the creation of blue/green buffers and enhanced cycle paths and footpaths.
According to Heathrow West, a primary benefit of its proposal is reducing the risk and spiralling cost of the new runway by avoiding the M25 motorway crossing. The group says it has established management and logistics plans to streamline construction and ensure it operates in the most effective, efficient and respectful manner possible. These include an ‘outside-in’ phasing approach that reduces the construction footprint over time and uses multiple access points to the site to minimize disruption; and off-site fabrication and modularization methods that will minimize the construction footprint as less land will be required for on-site assembly.
Heathrow West can be delivered within 10 years, according to the group – with the vast majority of activity contained within the airport boundary. Although it has yet to publish a full financial breakdown, Arora says its total costs for the runway and new terminal buildings will remain at under £25bn (US$33.5bn).
