EasyJet boss backs Rachel Reeves’s controversial Heathrow expansion plans

EasyJet’s chief executive has thrown his support behind Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Heathrow Airport expansion plans.

Speaking to reporters, Kenton Jarvis welcomed what he called “decisive action by the Government to grow the economy”.

He said the expansion would provide a “unique opportunity” for easyJet to operate from Heathrow at scale, promising lower fares for UK consumers who currently “just have the option of flag carriers”.

“We’ve always said that aviation, the industry, is an enabler of economic growth,” Jarvis said.

The budget airline boss highlighted how Heathrow would complement easyJet’s existing network of major European airports, including Schiphol, Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Geneva.

Reeves is expected to formally announce her support for the controversial third runway project in a speech on growth next week. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rachel Reeves insisted economic growth must be the Government’s top priority.

“When we say that growth is the number one mission of this Government, we mean it, and that means it trumps other things,” the Chancellor told a Bloomberg event.

She criticised previous approaches to development, saying: “The answer can’t always be no…This was the problem with the last Government – that there was always somebody that said ‘Oh yes, of course we want to grow the economy but we don’t like that investment, we don’t like that wind farm, we don’t like those pylons, we don’t like that airport.”

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The Chancellor is expected to support expansion plans not only for Heathrow but also for Gatwick and Luton airports. The plans face fierce opposition from environmental campaigners and senior Labour figures.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who won re-election in 2024 on a platform opposing airport expansion, maintains his “long-standing opposition” due to concerns over air quality and London’s net-zero targets.

Eight Cabinet members, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, have previously opposed Heathrow’s expansion. Alethea Warrington, head of aviation at climate charity Possible, called the expansion plans “a catastrophic misstep for a Government which claims to be a climate leader.”

Friends of the Earth’s Jenny Bates warned the decision would be “hugely irresponsible in the midst of a climate emergency”.

Green Party MP Sian Berry questioned who would benefit from the expansion, noting that “frequent flying is the preserve of the super-rich”.

The Brighton Pavilion MP said: “The aviation lobby is loud and well-funded, but the Government should instead be listening to scientists and its own Climate Change Committee, which has already urged a halt to overall airport expansion. The previous Labour Government’s poor record on airport expansion doesn’t have to continue.”

The £14billion Heathrow expansion project would add 260,000 flights annually to the airport’s capacity. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander faces key deadlines on airport expansion decisions in the coming months.

She must rule on Gatwick’s plans to use its emergency northern runway by February 27. A decision on Luton Airport’s bid to increase its passenger numbers cap is due by April 3.

Heathrow Airport said it was “looking at potential options to deliver a third runway” while meeting “strict tests on carbon, noise and air quality”.

The airport currently handles 83.9 million passengers annually and argues it is operating at full capacity.