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Heathrow Airport will this month name Philip Jansen as its next chairman as Britain’s biggest aviation hub presses ahead with plans for a £50bn expansion.
Sky News understands that Mr Jansen, the former chief executive of BT Group and now chairman of WPP, has held talks in recent weeks with some of Heathrow’s major airline customers about the role.
Sources close to the airport said that Heathrow’s board and shareholders expected to announce his appointment as Lord Deighton’s successor as soon as this week.
Mr Jansen, whose candidacy was revealed by Sky News last month, has been picked partly as a result of his experience running a regulated utility in the form of BT.
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He has also run companies including MyTravel, which was once one of Britain’s biggest tour operators, and Worldpay, the payments processor.
His appointment will come at a critical time for Heathrow.
In August, the airport submitted a revised expansion plan consisting of a third runway costing £21bn, £12bn for a new terminal and stand capacity, and £15bn to modernise the current airport through the expansion of Terminal 2.
The existing Terminal 3 would ultimately be closed.
Heathrow handled a record 83.9 million passengers last year and is adamant that a third runway is essential to the growth of Britain’s economy given the volume of exports which pass through the site.
“It has never been more important or urgent to expand Heathrow,” the airport’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, said in August.
“We are effectively operating at capacity to the detriment of trade and connectivity.
“With a green light from government and the correct policy support underpinned by a fit for purpose regulatory model, we are ready to mobilise and start investing this year in our supply chain across the country.
“We are uniquely placed to do this for…
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