Plans for a third runway at Heathrow are facing a delay of up to four years, with the airport now anticipating the runway will not be operational until 2039. This comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham has refused to confirm his backing for the project.
Heathrow had an original target of 2035 for the runway to be operational, but now aims to secure planning permission by 2029. The airport states that once permission is achieved, the runway would open “within a decade”.
During the Labour party conference in Liverpool, Prime Minister Burnham avoided directly answering whether he supports the third runway, stating the issue is “contested” and “principally it’s a matter for London and London MPs”. He added that he did not want to “jump straight in” before considering the results of a public consultation.
The proposed £33bn runway aims to increase flight capacity to 756,000 flights a year from the current cap of 480,000. However, a Department for Transport paper indicated that other airports in England and Wales could lose millions of passengers if the third runway is built, and further analysis suggested the overall economic boost might be less than anticipated, with potential “major adverse” effects on local health.