Heathrow Airport has told the government that its long-planned third runway will not be ready before 2039, four years later than the 2035 target set by ministers, the airport confirmed on Saturday 26 September. For passengers, it means the extra capacity the runway was meant to bring to the UK's busiest airport remains at least 13 years away.
Airport bosses told the Department for Transport that the original 2035 deadline, announced by then-chancellor Rachel Reeves in January 2025, is no longer achievable. Heathrow said it still hopes to secure planning permission by 2029, with construction taking about a decade after that. A Heathrow spokesperson said it was right that ambitious targets were set and that the airport's focus remains on progressing the planning application "with pace".
The Department for Transport said the original timetable had "always been ambitious" and that it would keep working with stakeholders "at pace" on the project.
The delay was confirmed as Labour's annual conference opened in Liverpool, and follows repeated questions over Prime Minister Andy Burnham's commitment to the 49 billion pound expansion, which he previously criticised before taking office. Government sources told the Telegraph the original timeline was "unrealistic".
The project has faced opposition from environmental campaigners and residents in neighbouring areas because of the scale of works involved, including diverting a section of the M25 and demolishing hundreds of homes. Supporters say the runway would create around 100,000 jobs and add tens of billions of pounds to the economy by expanding capacity at what is already Europe's busiest airport, which handled a record 84 million passengers last year.
The delay was first reported by the BBC and confirmed by both the Independent and the Telegraph, which separately cited government sources describing the original timeline as unrealistic.
Nothing changes for passengers travelling through Heathrow now. The airport continues to operate as normal on its existing two runways, and the delay affects only the long-term expansion timeline rather than current flight schedules, terminals or routes.
What this means for your journey: with expansion still over a decade away, Heathrow's current layout and the congestion that comes with it are not changing any time soon. If you are travelling through the airport, it is still worth planning your route in advance. See our guide to Heathrow parking at /parking/ for options if you are driving, or our public transport guide at /public-transport/ if you would rather leave the car at home.