Locals are being invited by Heathrow Airport to give their opinion on its future. The Airspace and Future Operations consultation is asking communities to help shape the plans for the airport’s existing runways, as well as its proposed third airstrip.

The consultation will explore the local factors that Heathrow needs to consider in different geographic areas in order to deisgn the flight paths, as well as examine ways to manage noise and minimise impact through runway and airspace alternation, once all three are operational.

Marked as the latest milestone in Heathrow’s £14 billion expansion, the Airspace and Future Operations consultation will run for eight weeks and span more than 30 events across the local boroughs surrounding the airport.

“Heathrow’s aim is to design a sustainable, fair and more efficient future airport while connecting the UK to global growth,” said Heathrow’s executive director for expansion, Emma Gilthorpe, who is urging locals to get involved and offer their take on the development.

“It is crucial that our plans maximise the benefits of expansion across the country, including for the communities closest to us—and working in partnership with our neighbours is just one way of ensuring they do so. We are committed to delivering expansion responsibly, and we encourage everyone to have their say and take part,” she added.

Receiving green light in Parliament last summer, the Heathrow Airport project submitted an application for development consent straight after. A previous consultation, conducted this time last year, collected views on how the airport should deliver the expansion while keeping to promises made to locals and meeting strict environmental tests.