Published 2 hours ago • loading... • Updated 6 minutes ago
Heathrow’s Third Runway Delayed Until 2039
Airport bosses say the current timeline is not possible, while the project still seeks planning permission by 2029 and could create 100,000 jobs.
Heathrow announced on Saturday the third runway project is delayed by four years until 2039, after bosses told the Government that sticking to the previous 2035 target is not possible.
Former chancellor Rachel Reeves set the 2035 deadline last January, but bosses at Heathrow argue that delivering on that timeline requires further regulatory red tape to be removed beyond existing reforms.
Expansion promises at least 108,000 new jobs and capacity for nearly 2,000 flights daily, while Heathrow currently serves more than 80 million travellers a year with four passenger terminals and two runways.
Department for Transport officials said the timeline has "always been ambitious" and noted there is currently no live planning application, adding the Government cannot comment on ongoing consultations without delaying progress.
Heathrow hopes to secure planning permission by 2029 and then open the runway "within a decade," though its construction requires rerouting the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15 through a tunnel.