Challenge to Luton Airport expansion plans reaches High Court

My London
Emma Fradgley & Jess Glass
04 Nov 2025

Luton was the UK's fifth busiest airport last year, with 16.9 million passengers travelling on 132,000 flights, with the DCO permitting up to 209,000 flights per year

The decision to approve a plan to expand Luton Airport was unlawful, the High Court has been told. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander gave the go-ahead to the Bedfordshire airport's development consent order (DCO) application earlier this year, despite a Planning Inspectorate recommendation that it should be turned down.

Campaign group Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Ladacan) is now challenging Ms Alexander's decision at the High Court, telling a hearing in London that it should also be quashed. The Department for Transport (DfT) and the airport's owners are defending the challenge...

Challenge to Luton Airport expansion plans reaches High Court - My London - 04 Nov 2025