Holland-Kaye on Tuesday (28 February) said forging ahead with Heathrow’s plans to expand via a third runway would boost the airport’s role as a regional hub.

However, environmental pressure group Transport and Environment said the aviation sector had to get its house in order before Heathrow returned to the topic of expansion.

“Heathrow still hasn’t explained how its plans will result in anything other than millions of tonnes of additional greenhouse gas emission,” the charity’s UK policy manager Matt Finch told TTG. “Until the aviation industry starts to seriously tackle its pollution addiction, there should be no third runway.”

Heathrow is currently connected to just eight UK airports, including Newcastle, Aberdeen and Belfast City.

"What I’d like to see is guaranteed flights from all UK regions, morning and evening, flying into Heathrow to connect onto global markets,” Holland-Kaye told The Independent. 

Holland-Kaye, who is set to step down later this year, echoed the stance of Heathrow’s board in his comments after the airport’s directors late last week said expansion remained on the cards, despite concerns about the environmental impact of expansion and whether there was sufficient demand.

"We are currently conducting an internal review of the work we have carried out and the different circumstances we find the aviation industry in,” Heathrow said. “This will enable us to progress with appropriate recommendations."

Expansion of Heathrow via a third runway has been a controversial topic for a number of years. Local residents and environmentalists alike have opposed the plans, saying the expansion would harm millions due to the negative impact of both air and noise pollution.

Nevertheless, Heathrow’s expansion has been backed numerous times by several Conservative governments, including that of Liz Truss.

Heathrow last week posted a pre-tax loss of £684 million for 2022, down from a £1.27-billion gap a year prior.

Passenger numbers continued to lag behind pre-Covid levels, as the airport’s 62 million customers represented 77% of 2019 levels.

TTG has approached the No 3rd Runway coalition and various aviation trade bodies for comment following Holland-Kaye’s remarks.