The UK government launched a review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) on 22 October 2025, the planning framework against which any expansion of Heathrow Airport will be judged. The Department for Transport announced the review as part of next steps for a third runway, with the aim of flights from a new runway by 2035.
Corporate INTL Newsroom · Aviation
Government Launches Airports National Policy Statement Review for Heathrow
By The Corporate INTL Newsroom · 23 October 2025
The current Airports National Policy Statement was designated in 2018. The government said that policy took five years to produce and that this review is intended to be completed three years faster.
The four tests
Any proposed scheme must meet four tests: on climate change, noise, air quality and contributing to economic growth across the country. The government will seek formal advice from the Climate Change Committee on any proposed amendments to the ANPS.
Timetable and promoters
A reviewed draft ANPS is due to go out for public consultation by summer 2026, and the government aims for a final planning decision within this Parliament. Two schemes remain under consideration, from Heathrow Airport Limited and the Arora Group, and the single scheme that will inform the review is to be announced by the end of November 2025.
The government said expansion must be financed entirely by the private sector, with no cost to taxpayers, and that promoters will cover related costs, including transport improvements to and from the airport. It will also assess whether Heathrow should be designated critical national priority infrastructure.
Wider aviation measures
The announcement referred to a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill, £63 million to fast-track sustainable aviation fuel plants, a UK Airspace Design Service and reforms to the allocation of airport slots.
Who is affected
Airlines, investors, contractors, local authorities and communities around Heathrow will follow the Airports National Policy Statement review closely, because the revised framework will shape the conditions attached to any application for development consent. Stakeholders will be able to respond when the draft is published for consultation, and the Climate Change Committee's advice is likely to be central to how the climate test is framed.
Sources
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