Heathrow's chief executive has warned that the airport's financial backers will reassess their support for its long-delayed third runway if Prime Minister Andy Burnham does not explicitly commit to the project by the end of this year, a demand that sharpens a political standoff with no effect on flights or terminals today.
Thomas Woldbye told the Financial Times, in an interview published on Monday 12 October, that Heathrow's owners, which include the Qatar Investment Authority, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, China Investment Corp, Ardian and Singapore's GIC, must decide early next year whether to submit a formal planning application for the £33bn scheme. "Our shareholders would like to do this," Woldbye said. "They do think that things are taking a long time, and so far they have decided to be OK with that... But of course we cannot wait forever." He added: "At some point in time we need a level of certainty. I think by the end of the year we'll be looking and saying: 'Let's assess this, let's take stock and see where we are.'"
The Independent separately confirmed the FT interview and reported that Burnham, who has previously said the runway decision is "a matter for London and Londoners" and as mayor of Greater Manchester argued expansion would divert investment from the north, has still not given his personal backing despite support from transport secretary Heidi Alexander's predecessor and new chancellor John Healey.
The warning lands alongside new passenger figures Heathrow published the same day, showing a 2.3% year-on-year drop to 7.2 million passengers in September, driven by a 20.1% fall in Middle East traffic linked to the Iran war and a smaller decline in UK and EU passengers. Woldbye said demand still exceeds capacity despite the dip.
Heathrow's own public consultation on the runway runs from 27 October to 22 December, and the airport says it still hopes to secure planning permission by 2029, a goal Woldbye admitted would be "challenging" but achievable, with construction taking roughly a decade after that and the earliest opening pushed back to 2039. The independent Climate Change Committee warned last month that the expansion is incompatible with the UK's climate targets, estimating it would produce as much CO2 as the city of Birmingham.
Nothing changes for passengers travelling through Heathrow now or in the near term. The airport continues to operate as normal on its existing two runways, and any new runway, even on the most favourable timeline, remains well over a decade away regardless of how the funding standoff resolves.
What this means for your journey: current terminals, routes and journey times at Heathrow are unaffected by this week's developments. If you are travelling through the airport soon, see our guide to getting there by public transport at /public-transport/, or compare parking options in advance at /parking/.