- IAG supports additional Heathrow capacity in principle. Expansion should proceed if it is affordable, deliverable and backed by effective regulation.
- Affordability is critical to protecting passengers and securing the wider economic benefits of expansion.
- Heathrow's expansion can support growth, jobs, trade and connectivity across every region and nation of the UK.
- The HENPS should provide stronger safeguards to prevent excessive costs being passed on to airlines and consumers.
- IAG remains committed to working constructively with Government, Heathrow and regulators to deliver the right expansion on the right terms.
At today's evidence session before the Transport Select Committee, International Airlines Group (IAG) reiterated its support for expansion at Heathrow, while stressing that expansion can only succeed if it is affordable for consumers and underpinned by a robust regulatory framework. IAG's evidence: focused on ensuring that expansion delivers value for passengers, strengthens UK connectivity and supports economic growth across all regions of the United Kingdom.
IAG welcomed the Committee's scrutiny of the Government's draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) and made the case that affordability is central to whether expansion ultimately delivers its promised economic benefits. IAG warned that excessive project costs and rising airport charges could undermine passenger demand, airline competitiveness and the wider economic case for expansion.
Jonathan Sullivan, Chief Corporate Development Officer, IAG, said:
"We need to find a way as a nation to deliver this affordably, because if it's affordable it's going to work for everybody.”
Heathrow is our only national hub and the only airport large enough to be the home of British Airways. The benefits of Heathrow go far beyond London and as the UK's only hub airport, it supports jobs, trade and investment in every nation and region of the country.
We need to work together to ensure expansion is affordable, managing costs for passengers to ensure that we don’t break the economics or we will risk losing this rare and precious piece of national infrastructure.
A successful Heathrow expansion can strengthen every nation and region of the UK by improving access to global markets, supporting trade, tourism and investment, and creating opportunities throughout national supply chains. Those benefits can only be realised if the project remains commercially credible and affordable.
Government and the Civil Aviation Authority have the opportunity to create a framework that delivers growth while protecting consumers from unnecessary costs. We stand ready to work constructively with Heathrow, regulators and ministers to achieve that outcome."
Notes to Editors
Documents and submissions that IAG has made in 2026 related to the regulation and potential expansion of Heathrow airport:
IAG written evidence to Transport Select Committee in their scrutiny of the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement: Written evidence - HEN0061
Airlines Operators Committee written evidence to Transport Select Committee in their scrutiny of the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement: Written evidence - HEN0061
IAG response to CAA to consultation on regulatory models: iag-response-to-caa-working-paper-on-regulatory-models-cap-3195-vpublic.pdf
IAG response to CAA’s consultation on regulatory models: IAG Response to CAP3251
Global strategy firm Oliver Wyman assessment examining the level of capital investment Heathrow Airport can sustainably afford as part of its proposed third runway expansion: 20260311-oliver-wyman-report-heathrow-affordable-expansion.pdf