Heathrow third runway suffers four-year delay

Heathrow Airport’s third runway will be delivered only four years after an initial target, it was revealed, amid questions over whether the plan will get the go-ahead.

The third runway at Europe’s second busiest airport will only be finished in 2039 despite efforts by the former Sir Keir Starmer government to accelerate construction. 

Airport chiefs said 2035 was “always an ambitious target” and insisted it is “possible” that the runway could be delivered at an earlier date. 

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “It’s right that ambitious targets were set, the sooner expansion begins the sooner the whole UK will benefit. 

“Our focus has always been to secure planning permission by 2029. Once achieved the runway will be open within a decade – and the benefits of expansion can be felt from today. 

The delay, which was first reported by The Sunday Times, adds to questions facing the major infrastructure project under the new Andy Burnham government. 

Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves made Heathrow’s expansion central to her ambitions to deliver higher growth, saying she wanted to get the expansion “signed off” and adding that it would help improve the country’s prospects as a hub for business. 

Heathrow’s plan ‘always ambitious’

Heathrow chiefs have fought back against downgrades on the growth impacts of the runway, with internal analysis revising down the net benefit of the project. 

The airport said that the new runway would be privately finances and create 108,000 new jobs. Construction firms have also weighed in to argue that the new runway could help solve youth unemployment problems in London. 

London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has been a staunch opponent of the expansion, citing environmental damage. It was reported in the Financial Times this week that Burnham was privately opposed to the construction. 

A finalised version of plans will be presented to MPs for a vote after a consultation period had finished. It could put the billionaire Surinder Arora, who has a rival proposal to the announced scheme, in collision course with Heathrow. 

Gary Smith, general secretary of the union GMB, said the new target was a “deliverable, workable and practical timeline for Heathrow expansion that unlocks over 100,000 jobs”. 

“We need to put an end to decades of talk and lost benefits for working people across the country and get cracking,” he said. 

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “There is currently no live planning application for a third runway, and we cannot comment on ongoing consultation processes or prejudice them in a way that will only delay progress.

“The timeline has always been ambitious. We’ll continue to work with promoters, including Heathrow, and all other stakeholders at pace to ensure the right framework is in place for which a planning application for a third runway could be considered.”