Number 10 launches aviation charm offensive after Burnham third runway remarks

Andy Burnham’s Downing Street operation has been privately reassuring members of the aviation sector of its support for Heathrow’s third runway expansion, despite the Prime Minister refusing to give the megaproject his backing in a string of media appearances over Labour party conference.

City AM understands that Number 10 has been trying to patch up relations with key figures from the industry after many were left disoriented by the former Manchester mayor’s indifference towards the multibillion-pound drive at his party’s annual jamboree last week. Government advisers have assured the sector that the remarks were not a sign of government going cold on the project, three industry figures said, and that Burnham had not been fully briefed on its economic merits.

“Andy Burnham’s comments weren’t necessarily helpful at the time – but we’ve had some clarification since,” one exec said. “No 10 and internal advisers basically told us the Prime Minister hadn’t really had the time to focus on aviation and the runway. One has to recognise that… his father died [and] he was busy preparing for conference. Aviation was probably the last thing on his mind.”

Proponents of the third runway had initially been encouraged that the change in Prime Minister would not herald any cooling of appetite for the third runway, after Burnham handed aviation minister Keir Mather a brief that explicitly included oversight of Heathrow expansion. Heathrow boss Thomas Woldbye has also said Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, gave the project his blessing when the pair first spoke in July.

Third runway bidders gear up for pivotal evidence session

But their confidence in the project was thrown into disarray when Burnham, who as Manchester mayor called for the third runway plans to be abandoned, told the BBC the expansion was “a matter for London and Londoners”. “I think it’s right that we hear what people have said through the consultation, and then then consider the way forward from there,” he said in an interview ahead of Labour’s conference.

The remarks stood in sharp contrast to the four square support that Keir Starmer gave the runway throughout his time in office. Former chancellor Rachel Reeves made it a central plank of her mission to fire up the UK economy, saying the country could not “duck the decision any longer” in a speech last year that fired the starting gun on its lengthy planning process.

Officials are currently wading their way through responses to a consultation on the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement, which when published will act as a framework against which bidders’ planning applications will be judged. Civil servants will then unveil a final version of the document, which will be put to a vote now expected in early next year.

Flights by 2039?

If passed, owner Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) is expected to submit a proposal alongside Heathrow West, a rival bid that is being spearheaded by the billionaire hotel tycoon Surinder Arora. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will then consider the applications before deciding which, if any, the government should rubber stamp.

But the project has already been dealt its first major blow when HAL conceded it was unlikely to hit its initial 2035 target for flights to take off from the strip. It now expects to deliver the expansion by 2039, assuming the planning process remains on track.

Separately, HAL boss Woldbye and Arora are gearing up for a pivotal evidence session at Transport Committee this week, where MPs are expected to grill the pair on the the merits of expansion and their proposals. Critics argue that even if costs are kept to a minimum, passengers will have to foot the vast majority of the bill via charges that are added to their plane tickets.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “Heathrow expansion has the potential to deliver around £40bn in economic benefits across the UK, and we support airport expansion across the country where this can contribute to growth and opportunity, while meeting tests on the environment.

“We are moving swiftly to review the responses received to the recent consultation on the policy framework underpinning expansion, and considering the appropriate next steps.”