Heathrow airport expansion proposals
On 18 June 2026 the Department for Transport (DfT) published the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), which provides a framework for how expansion might be implemented.
This paper has been prepared for the Second Reading debate in the House of Commons on the Civil Aviation Bill, scheduled for 30 January 2012
Civil Aviation Bill (299KB PDF)
The main changes proposed in the Bill are intended to modernise the regulatory framework for civil aviation in the UK through:
• reforms to the legislative framework for the economic regulation of airports;
• the legislative framework of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA); and
• by conferring certain aviation security functions on the CAA.
It also contains a provision to widen the Secretary of State’s powers so that holidays sold by airlines or arranged on an ‘agent for the consumer’ basis could be included in the ATOL scheme in the future.
Civil Aviation Bill (299KB PDF)
On 18 June 2026 the Department for Transport (DfT) published the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), which provides a framework for how expansion might be implemented.
The Civil Aviation Bill is going through Parliament. It gives more powers to the Civil Aviation Authority and modernises the UK's aviation regulatory framework
The 2025 Strategic Defence Review recommended the government explore options to create a new Reserve-style force to protect critical national infrastructure.