Business
Heathrow’s plan for longer third runway chosen by government
Heathrow Airport’s plan for a third runway, which involves moving the M25 motorway, has been chosen by the government.
Two plans had been under consideration – one from the airport itself, and another from Arora Group, led by hotel tycoon Surinder Arora.
Heathrow had proposed a new runway which would be up to 3.5km (2.2 miles) long and require a new road tunnel under the airport. The rival bid from Arora Group would have involved a shorter runway at a lower cost, and did not require altering the M25.
A final decision on whether a third runway will get the green light is still years away.
Last month, the government asked for further information to help choose between the Heathrow and Arora schemes.
The Department for Transport said Heathrow’s own proposal offered the most deliverable option, and the “greatest likelihood” of getting a decision on planning approval within this parliament.
The plan that has been backed will inform the government’s review of the Airports National Policy Statement.
Once that is complete, Heathrow is expected to apply for planning permission. The government then hopes for a decision by 2029.
But any company will be able to submit an application to build the new runway and terminals at the site.
Heathrow had set out its plans for expansion in the summer. The whole project, which is expected to cost £49bn, includes:
- the new runway, which Heathrow says will increase capacity to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers a year. It currently serves about 84 million
- a new terminal called T5X, expanding Terminal 2 and three new satellite terminals. It would close Terminal 3
- enhancement of local rail connections and improvements to Heathrow’s bus and coach stations
- diversion of the M25, which would involve a new road tunnel under the airport, and widening the motorway between junctions 14-15
The Arora Group said it accepted the government’s choice, adding it welcomed the decision to leave the option open for other firms to bid for the work.
“It’s imperative there is a clear and transparent process for selecting a promoter to ensure it best serves the interests of consumers,” the group said.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said Heathrow was the UK’s only hub airport that supported trade, tourism and jobs.
“Today is another important step to enable a third runway and build on these benefits, setting the direction for the remainder of our work to get the policy framework in place for airport expansion,” she said.
“This will allow a decision on a third runway plan this parliament which meets our key tests including on the environment and economic growth.”
When Heathrow had set out its plans in the summer, it said expansion was urgently needed as the airport was working at capacity, “to the detriment of trade and connectivity”.
Business groups had also backed the expansion, saying it would bring benefits for businesses and exporters, by opening up access to markets and encouraging investment.
The government has already approved a string of other airport expansion plans, including a second runway at Gatwick Airport.
However, the Heathrow plans face opposition from environmental groups, politicians, and local residents.
Tony Bosworth, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said the plan would mean “more noise and air pollution for local communities”.
“Expanding Heathrow simply isn’t compatible with our legally binding climate targets, even if the government meets its hugely optimistic assumptions for emerging technologies, such as sustainable aviation fuels,” he said
Justine Bayley, who lives in Harmondsworth, says her house would be 50 paces from the boundary of the new airport, making her home effectively uninhabitable.
“Unless both Heathrow and the government say black is white, I don’t believe they can actually demonstrate that the benefits of this and the lack of pollution and greenhouse gases and all the rest of it are within acceptable limits,” she told the BBC.
The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, said he thought the government’s backing of a new runway was a mistake.
“I want a better Heathrow, not a bigger one… I’m unclear how you get a new runway at Heathrow and it doesn’t cause environmental damage, noise pollution, air pollution being exacerbated.”
In reaching its decision, the government said that Heathrow’s runway plan was better developed and, while it required “major works” to the M25, the rival Arora scheme would also have had a “considerable impact” on the motorway.
It added that while the Heathrow proposal requires more land, it involves the acquisition of fewer houses around the airport than Arora’s plan.
The government also said the longer runway would provide “greater resilience and potential futureproofing for next-generation aircraft”.
A spokesperson for Heathrow welcomed the decision but said it needed “clarity as to how the crucial next phase of the project will be regulated”.
The airport is seeking reassurance that it will be allowed to increase its fees by enough to cover the cost of the planning application, which it says it will have to start very soon to meet the government’s timetable.
Earlier this month, the chief executive of British Airways, Sean Doyle, told industry members and MPs that Heathrow should be expanded without moving the M25.
“I think we should look at ways of potentially building a shorter runway,” he said.
Some airlines are concerned that the cost of building the third runway will make the airport more expensive for them, and ultimately for customers.
Business
Want To Buy A House In Karnataka? Know About The ‘Namma Mane’ Scheme With Affordable Housing & Subsidies
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The programme aims to make land ownership more accessible for eligible residents while supporting the government’s wider goal of providing housing for all.
Under the ‘Namma Mane’ housing scheme 50,000 residential plots will be distributed at concessional rates over the next two years.
What if owning a home became a little more achievable? In the latest Karnataka Budget, the state government has announced a series of housing initiatives aimed at expanding access to affordable homes and residential plots. From the ‘Namma Mane’ scheme offering concessional sites to increased subsidies for beneficiaries and plans for a massive sports complex in Anekal, the announcements signal a renewed push towards housing development across the state.
The Karnataka government has unveiled several housing and infrastructure initiatives in the latest state budget, including the distribution of thousands of residential plots and the construction of a large sports complex in Bengaluru’s Anekal taluk. The announcements are part of broader efforts to expand housing access and improve public infrastructure across the state.
Karnataka Budget Housing Scheme: Key Benefits
One of the key proposals is the introduction of the ‘Namma Mane’ housing scheme, under which 50,000 residential plots will be distributed at concessional rates over the next two years. The programme aims to make land ownership more accessible for eligible residents while supporting the government’s wider goal of providing housing for all.
The Housing Department has also set a new target of sanctioning one lakh houses under various housing schemes in the state. These houses will be approved based on the Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) model, which allows eligible beneficiaries to construct their own homes with financial support from the government.
As part of this initiative, the government has increased the subsidy amount provided under housing schemes. For beneficiaries in the general category, the subsidy has been raised from Rs 1.20 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. Meanwhile, beneficiaries from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will receive increased assistance, with the subsidy rising from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.
The budget also introduces a change in the process used to select beneficiaries for state housing schemes. Instead of the traditional manual lottery system, selections will now be conducted through an online lottery in Gram Sabhas. The move is expected to improve transparency and streamline the allocation process.
In addition to housing initiatives, the Karnataka Housing Board has announced plans to develop a major sports facility in Anekal taluk of Bengaluru Urban district. The project, titled ‘KHB Surya Krida Grama’, will include the construction of an 80,000-seat cricket stadium designed to host international sporting events.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Slum Development Board is continuing the implementation of housing projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (AHP). A total of 1.29 lakh houses are being constructed under the scheme, with 79,134 homes dedicated for the year 2025–26. The state government has allocated an additional grant of Rs 1,136 crore to support the project, providing permanent housing to many slum residents.
Since the Congress government came to power, Rs 7,328 crore has been spent on various housing schemes. So far, 4,19,454 houses have been completed and handed over to beneficiaries. The government has set a target to complete three lakh houses during the current year.
Authorities have also stated that steps will be taken to complete the 4.90 lakh houses sanctioned by the previous government, even though they were approved without grants.
March 07, 2026, 10:51 IST
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‘Indians been good actors’: Why US ‘agreed to let’ India resume buying Russian oil temporarily – The Times of India
The United States has given “permission” to India to buy Russian oil already stranded at sea issuing a temporary waiver aimed at stabilising global oil supplies amid disruptions caused by the escalating conflict in West Asia.US President Donald Trump’s aide Scott Bessent referred to India as a “very good actor” for previously complying with Washington’s request to halt purchases of sanctioned Russian oil and said the temporary measure would help ease supply pressures in the global market.
The move comes a day after Washington issued a 30-day waiver permitting the sale of Russian crude currently stranded at sea to continue to India.
US cites temporary supply concerns
Speaking to Fox Business, US treasury secretary Bessent said the decision was intended to ease short-term supply constraints during the ongoing crisis.“The world is very well supplied in oil. The Treasury (Department) agreed to let our allies in India start buying Russian oil that was already on the water,” Bessent said.“The Indians had been very good actors. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. They did. They were going to substitute it with US oil,” he said.“But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept the Russian oil. We may unsanction other Russian oil,” he added.Bessent also noted that a large volume of sanctioned crude remains stranded at sea stating that, “There are hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels of sanctioned crude on the water,” he said, adding that “by unsanctioning them, Treasury can create supply.”“And we are looking at that. We are going to keep a cadence of announcing measures to bring relief to the market during this conflict,” he added.
‘Short term measures to help keep oil prices down’
Other officials in the Trump administration have also confirmed that Washington has “permitted” India to buy Russian crude that is already loaded on ships.Earlier, US energy secretary Chris Wright said the step was intended to quickly move existing oil supplies into the market.“We have implemented short term measures to help keep oil prices down. We are allowing our friends in India to take oil that is already on ships, refine it, and move those barrels into the market quickly. A practical way to get supply flowing and ease pressure,” Wright said in a post on X.In an interview with ABC News Live, Wright emphasised that the measure was temporary.“But as oil gets bid up a little bit because of those constraints coming out of the Strait of Hormuz, we’re taking a short-term action to say all this floating Russian oil storage that’s around Southern Asia, it’s China just backed up, China does not treat their suppliers well, so there’s a bunch of floating barrels just sitting there,” he said.“We’ve reached out to our friends in India and said, ‘Buy that oil. Bring it into your refineries’. That pulls stored oil immediately into Indian refineries and releases the pressure on other refineries around the world to buy oil that they’re no longer competing with the Indians for in that marketplace,” Wright added.“So we have a number of measures like that that are short-term and temporary. This is no change in policy towards Russia. This is a very brief change in policy just to keep oil prices down a little bit better than we could otherwise,” he further noted.
Waiver amid Strait of Hormuz tensions
The US Treasury earlier issued an order granting a 30-day licence allowing delivery and sale of Russian crude and petroleum products to India. The decision comes as shipping routes through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz face disruptions due to the ongoing conflict in the region.“President Trump’s energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching the highest levels ever recorded. To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil,” Bessent said earlier.He stressed that the step was a limited measure and would not significantly benefit Moscow.“This deliberately short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea,” he said.“India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of US oil. This stop-gap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran’s attempt to take global energy hostage,” he added.
India’s oil supply position
The move comes months after the Trump administration imposed 25% punitive tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil, arguing that such imports were helping finance Moscow’s war against Ukraine.However, the tariffs were later lifted after the two countries agreed on a framework for an interim trade agreement and India committed to reducing imports from Russia while increasing purchases of American energy.India currently imports nearly 5.5–5.6 million barrels of crude oil per day, accounting for about 90% of its domestic consumption. Officials say the country’s energy position remains comfortable despite the regional tensions.Around 15 million barrels of crude are currently on tankers in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, while vessels carrying another seven million barrels are waiting near Singapore. Additional tankers in the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal are also heading towards Indian ports and could arrive within a week.According to data from Kpler, India imported slightly over 1 million barrels per day of Russian crude in February, compared with 1.1 million bpd in January and 1.2 million bpd in December.Before the Ukraine war in 2022, Russian crude accounted for just 0.2% of India’s imports, but purchases increased sharply after Moscow began offering deep discounts.
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Want To Buy A House In Karnataka? Know About The ‘Namma Mane’ Scheme With Affordable Housing & Subsidies
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