Heathrow third runway could open in 2039

London Heathrow’s planned third runway may open as late as 2039, four years after the 2035 target previously associated with the project. The airport says it is aiming to secure planning permission by 2029 and open the runway within a decade of that approval. An earlier opening would depend on faster progress through planning and regulatory procedures. 

The revised outlook does not mean that a construction timetable has been approved. The UK Department for Transport says there is no live planning application for the runway and describes the existing timetable as ambitious. The government is still developing the policy framework against which an application would be assessed.

Heathrow’s proposal forms part of a wider, privately financed expansion programme. It would require major changes around the airport, including rerouting a section of the M25 motorway, and is intended to increase capacity at the UK’s busiest airport. Heathrow argues that the project would support jobs and economic growth.

The expansion remains contested. Local residents and environmental campaigners have raised concerns about noise, air quality and emissions. The UK’s Climate Change Committee has also warned that, under current policies, a third runway would be incompatible with the country’s climate targets unless aviation takes further responsibility for its emissions.

Source: ITV News London