A leading transport body has called on the Government to abandon a London- and Heathrow-centric approach to airport expansion and adopt a single, nationally integrated aviation framework, arguing the UK already has enough capacity to grow for two decades without an immediate third runway.
The intervention comes from The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT(UK)), which has published a major policy review feeding into the ongoing debate over the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) and the Making Best Use of Existing Runways (MBU) policy. The report has been forwarded to the Department for Transport (DfT) to support its live ANPS review, which ministers launched in October 2025.
While welcoming the recently launched DfT consultation on a Heathrow expansion framework, CILT(UK) said it was disappointed that the work failed to consider airports across the whole of the UK rather than remaining fixed on Heathrow alone.
Chris Tarry, chair of the Aviation Policy Group at CILT(UK), said: “Airport expansion policy must be considered in the context of the whole UK aviation system and not restricted to one region. Our experts at CILT(UK) have considered all the facts and what is best for the nation as a whole. We firmly believe decisions should be based on objective evidence, regional demand, economic benefit and environmental impacts, ensuring that growth is not automatically associated with Heathrow alone.”
CILT(UK) believes the forecasts underpinning the Government’s economic appraisal take too little account of growth at other UK airports and of potential capacity elsewhere in the country, particularly in the South East and the East of England.
The report argues there is already sufficient existing and potential capacity across the UK to accommodate growth over the next twenty years without an immediate need for a third runway at the country’s busiest hub. It points to network developments and added capacity at other London-area and regional airports as evidence that the case for Heathrow expansion is no longer clear-cut.
Even so, the review stops short of ruling Heathrow out. It says expansion should remain safeguarded and could proceed if a strong case demonstrates that the benefits outweigh the environmental, infrastructure and surface access costs, alongside an acceptable funding arrangement with airlines.
A central theme of the review is air cargo and freight, where CILT(UK) holds particular expertise. The institute says the Government’s current treatment of freight is inadequate because it leans too heavily on Heathrow while overlooking the wider UK freight and logistics network.
Future policy, the report argues, should include a comprehensive analysis of air cargo operations, taking in the role of integrators, eCommerce growth, trucked air cargo, customs performance and regional cargo capacity.
The Institute also warns that surface access could become a major brake on airport growth unless clearer funding mechanisms are put in place for the associated road and rail improvements, a constraint already familiar to business travellers contending with strained airport infrastructure across Europe.
On climate, the report states that any revised ANPS must set out clearly how aviation growth supports the UK’s legally binding 2050 net zero commitment, including operational improvements, sustainable aviation fuels, carbon markets and emerging carbon reduction technologies.
Tarry added: “The UK has significant untapped potential at many airports, alongside growing opportunities in air cargo and regional connectivity. A revised ANPS provides the opportunity to establish a more balanced and nationally integrated aviation strategy.”
The institute’s report proposes a UK-wide approach that fully accounts for freight and surface access, with further detailed commentary on the financial aspects of the proposals to follow separately. The thinking echoes a wider industry argument that capacity in the South East should be assessed across the network rather than at a single airport, an issue felt keenly at constrained hubs such as Gatwick.
CILT(UK) confirmed it will submit a full response to the Government consultation by 1 September. The report draws on a broad range of the institute’s research, consultation responses and stakeholder engagement across the aviation, logistics and transport sectors.
