Sir Nigel Rudd will be stepping down as Chairman of Heathrow airport in September 2016, but that doesn’t mean he will stop fighting for a new runway at the UK’s busiest airport.
The announcement comes a week after the government delayed its decision on whether or not to build a third runway at Heathrow until next summer despite the Airports Commission stating that the Heathrow expansion is the best option.
Rudd’s replacement has not been announced yet but Heathrow said ‘preparations are underway’.
Under Sir Nigel’s leadership the airport has prospered and become a strong business with a stable financial position and strong operational performance.
His term was capped by last year’s opening of Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal, marking the conclusion of an £11 billion investment programme which transformed Heathrow into the best hub airport in Europe.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:
“It has been an honour and great pleasure to work with Sir Nigel and I will miss his sound advice, unerring support and good humour.
“We are starting the process of finding a replacement for Sir Nigel and Heathrow thanks him for the tremendous work he has done for our company over the past decade.”
Sir Nigel Rudd said:
“I’m really proud to have played a role in re-establishing Heathrow as a national asset for the UK. I’ve seen first-hand just how much of an economic engine Heathrow is for all parts of our great trading nation.
“That’s why it’s so important that Government lives up to its “open for business” mandate and expands Heathrow. We can keep Britain at the heart of the global economy and I will continue to actively make the case for a bigger and better Heathrow.”