The permitted to recoup £320m it spent on its third runway proposal since the start of 2025.
will recover the money through higher airline charges, which are typically passed on to passengers in air fares, for .
The said its decision would increase the maximum airport charge per passenger by about 15p in 2028, rising to an estimated 30p in subsequent years.
, the largest airline at , warned that early cost recovery by would create a risk that expansion would be unaffordable for consumers and inconsistent with a credible benefits case.
Airlines have repeatedly complained that has the highest charges of any airport in the world.
's rival expansion scheme, Heathrow West, was given the go-ahead to recoup £4.1m it spent on its plan in 2025 up to November 25, when the government announced 's proposal was its preferred option.
The government launched a consultation on its expansion , setting out the conditions needed if the project is to be given the green light.
, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said she was determined to get spades in the ground for the third runway during the current parliament, and for it to be built by 2035.