Heathrow may be able to add 60,000 more flights if the airport adopts ‘mixed mode’ flights where landings and take offs happen on the same runway.
The Government is considering the proposal which would question the need for a third runway or a new airport in the Thames Estuary.
Chancellor George Osborne has secretly been pushing proposals that could see 20 million more passengers a year, reports the Sunday Times.
At the same time the Government is being urged to promote regional airports rather than focussing on a hub airport in south east England.
Birmingham Airport has said it has spare capacity to ease the strain on Heathrow.
Chief executive Paul Kehoe said it was misleading to suggest that expanding airports in South East England was the only way to add capacity.
He said regions could help take the strain and that a new generation of smaller planes that could fly further meant passengers would not need to transfer via big hubs so often in the future.
The number of flights allowed at Heathrow is capped at 480,000 a year.
Currently, one runway is used for landings and the other for take-offs, switching halfway through the day.
BAA is beginning a nine-week trial to assess the effects of using both runways simultaneously when there is a backlog of flights.
The airport operator is also launching a new campaign to get permission to build a third runway at the London airport.
By Diane Evans
