WITHIN hours of MPs approving a third runway for Heathrow, the firm bidding to develop new terminals stepped up its bid to win part of the contract.

Surinder Arora, founder and chairman of the Arora, said: “This stamp of approval from MPs for Heathrow expansion is a vital further step – but there now needs to be an independent process to determine who can best deliver each element of the expansion.

“Arora’s plans to deliver the full extra capacity via a westerly campus deliver significant cost savings and break the current monopoly, which overcharges airlines and passengers.

“Costs must be kept down for the expansion to work and Heathrow’s track record should be a cause for concern.”

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Arora estimates expansion plans at £14.4bn and says the competing scheme, from Heathrow Airport Ltd, was recently costed at more than twice this sum.

HAL has said it would allow companies to partner with it on parts of the expansion scheme. While welcoming the announcement, Arora believes it does not go far enough in guaranteeing competitive expansion.

The Arora proposals concentrate new terminal capacity on the western side of Heathrow, between the existing Terminal 5 and the M25.

This, it says, avoids the need to redevelop terminals in the central area (T2 and 3) which would be more expensive and disruptive.