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Chancellor John Healey has reaffirmed that the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport has consistently been viewed as a driver of economic growth. This statement comes amid uncertainty surrounding Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s stance on the expansion, as he has avoided explicitly supporting the project. Speaking at the International Monetary Fund meetings in Bangkok, Healey emphasized the role that airport expansions, including Heathrow, have played in fostering jobs and economic development over recent decades.
Previously, Healey’s predecessor, Rachel Reeves, had strongly advocated for Heathrow’s extension, positioning it as a key symbol of the UK’s openness to business opportunities. In contrast, Burnham has expressed caution, describing the decision as one that should be primarily left to London and its residents. This hesitancy follows a warning from Heathrow’s chief executive earlier this week, who described the failure to build a third runway as a “huge missed opportunity” for the country’s busiest airport.
The debate over Heathrow’s third runway is long-standing, encountering substantial opposition from local communities, politicians, and environmental activists concerned about its impact. Last year, the government-backed expansion was announced by Reeves, who declared that the addition of a third runway was urgently needed and that the government could no longer avoid making a decision. However, Burnham, when asked about the project last month, reiterated that it was important to first listen to the opinions of Londoners before deciding, expressing reluctance to jump into the issue prematurely.
Currently, the Department for Transport is reviewing responses from the closed public consultation on the National Policy Statement, which forms the legal foundation for the runway decision. Healey noted that the government is considering next steps and that further announcements will be made in due course. The consortium that owns Heathrow has made clear that they require a firm commitment from Burnham before the year’s end to move forward. Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow’s chief executive, expressed on BBC Radio 4 that it would be helpful to understand the government’s position soon, emphasizing that the benefits of the runway would extend beyond London, affecting the whole of the UK due to the wide-reaching supply chain.
Heathrow currently accommodates over 80 million passengers annually across its four terminals and two runways. Flight operations are currently limited to 480,000 per year but could increase to around 720,000—nearly 2,000 flights daily—should the new runway be approved and constructed. The estimated cost of the project is £33 billion, involving significant construction challenges such as demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers, and tunneling the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15. The runway’s opening was initially planned for 2035, but Heathrow has recently indicated that regulatory and planning delays may push this date to 2039
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