Britain26 September, 20262 min read
Heathrow Warns Third Runway Delay Pushes Completion To 2039, Planning Permission Target 2029
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Third runway now expected to be completed in 2039, four-year delay from 2035 target. Heathrow aims to obtain planning permission by 2029 to enable the project.
2035 slips to 2039
Heathrow Airport warned that its planned third runway could be delayed by four years, pushing the project’s completion to 2039 instead of the 2035 deadline. Heathrow said it hoped to secure planning permission by 2029 and then open the runway "within a decade".
The Department for Transport said the project timeline had "always been ambitious" and that it would continue to work with stakeholders "at pace". Heathrow said its "core scenario" had always been to open a new runway within a decade of securing planning permission, while the airport’s expansion would involve demolishing hundreds of homes and rerouting the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15 through a tunnel under the new runway.
Jobs, flights, and opposition
Heathrow said the expansion was expected to create around 100,000 jobs and provide a major boost to the economy, with the number of flights currently capped at 480,000 a year potentially going up to 720,000. London Mayor Sadiq Khan opposed the project, warning of the impact on noise, air pollution and climate change.
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 or prejudice them in a way that would only delay progress. The Telegraph reported that airport chiefs told ministers it would not be possible to reach the 2035 deadline to complete the £49bn expansion, and it said government sources described the original timeline set by Rachel Reeves as "unrealistic".
Planning steps and climate
Heathrow said it was encouraged by the chancellor’s efforts to streamline infrastructure and remove policy and regulatory bottlenecks, and it promised to continue to work with ministers, airlines and stakeholders to "progress the planning application with pace". The BBC said Former chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government’s support for the project in January 2025, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was "open-minded" about the scheme when he came to office.
The Telegraph said the Climate Change Committee warned last week that a third runway at Heathrow was not "currently compatible" with reaching net zero by 2050 unless operators enforced mitigations that could add £400 to the cost of a transatlantic flight. Heidi Alexander insisted the runway was compatible with net zero, telling The Telegraph that economy-wide targets should not stop construction because the impact of more flights could be offset "holistically" elsewhere.