Heathrow unveils £49 bn expansion plan for third runway

London: London s Heathrow Airport on Friday unveiled a 49 billion ($65 billion) expansion plan, including the costs of building a long awaited third...

London: London's Heathrow Airport on Friday unveiled a £49-billion ($65 billion) expansion plan, including the costs of building a long-awaited third runway, approved by the UK government after years of legal wrangling.

The runway would cost £21 billion, with flights expected to take off within a decade, while the rest of the privately-funded investment will go toward expanding and modernising the airport.

Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport by passenger numbers, said the expansion would provide at least 30 new daily routes, more domestic connections and improved flight times.

The increased capacity would almost double the number of annual passengers from 84 million currently to up to 150 million passengers annually.