Heathrow Third Runway Takes Off, Just Four Years Late

Heathrow Airport has warned that its planned third runway could be delayed by up to four years, with planning and regulatory hurdles making the original timeline increasingly difficult to achieve. The UK government had hoped the new runway at the country busiest airport, estimated to cost around £49 billion, would be operational by 2035. However, Heathrow now says meeting that deadline could prove challenging without further changes to simplify the planning process. The airport said on Saturday that it hoped to secure planning permission by 2029 and then open the new runway with in a decade. Heathrow stressed that its core scenario had always been to deliver the runway with in 10 years of receiving planning permission. The Department for Transport (DfT) described the project timeline as always ambitious and said it would continue working with Heathrow and other stakeholders at pace to establish the appropriate planning frame work. Heathrow also welcomed government efforts to streamline infrastructure projects and remove policy and regulatory bottle necks. The airport said it would continue working with ministers, airlines and other stake holders to move the planning application forward. The government support for the expansion was announced by former chancellor Rachel Reeves in January 2025. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who had previously criticised the project, later said he was open minded about the proposal after taking office. The proposed expansion remains controversial. Environmental campaigners and local resident groups have raised concerns about noise, air pollution and climate change, while supporters argue that the project could create around 100,000 jobs and provide a significant boost to the UK economy. The scale of the proposed construction is substantial. Hundreds of homes could be demolished, rivers diverted and sections of the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15 rerouted through a tunnel beneath the new runway. If completed, the expansion could increase Heathrow annual flight capacity from its current cap of around 480,000 flights to 720,000, equivalent to almost 2,000 flights a day on average. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has consistently opposed the project, citing concerns about its potential impact on noise, air quality and climate change. A draft planning frame work for the expansion was published in June for consultation. Once finalised, it would need to go through a parliamentary process, which could reportedly be delayed until 2027. The Department for Transport said there was currently no live planning application for a third runway and that it could not comment on ongoing consultation processes in a way that might further delay the project. A Heathrow spokes person defended the ambition behind the original timeline, saying that the sooner expansion begins, the sooner the wider UK economy could benefit. For now, Heathrow third runway remains firmly on the drawing board with the airport itself warning that the journey to take off could take considerably longer than originally hoped.