LONDON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Britain's largest airport company, BAA, said Tuesday Heathrow expansion plans could include a fourth runway that would obliterate thousands of homes.
Expansion plans at Heathrow include a fifth terminal, set to open in March. A third runway and a sixth terminal are set to open by 2020, the Times of London reported.
The third runway will be sited on land owned by the villages of Sipson and Harmondsworth. The fourth runway would be built in the villages of Bedfont and Stanwell.
"This means thousands more homes will be blighted by uncertainty," said John Stewart, chairman of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise.
Uproar over the issue includes broken promises over previous plans. A 1995 company newsletter indicated the airport's fifth terminal would not lead to a third runway. Now, a fourth is in the planning stages.
The Spanish-owned company admits it broke previous promises, but wants to keep its options open.
In 2001, the government agreed to cap Heathrow traffic at 480,000 flights per year. The third runway, however, would increase the airport capacity to 702,000 flights.
