The cancellation of a third runway at Heathrow Airport would be a "huge missed opportunity" for Britain, the airport's chief executive Thomas Woldby has warned. He urged the government to clarify its position on the project after Prime Minister Andy Burnham refused to say whether he supported it.
“If they can't invest in Heathrow, that money will be invested somewhere else in the world,” Woldby told the BBC. He said it was private money, not public money, meaning it would not stay in the UK if the project was scrapped.
“It would be a really sad, huge missed opportunity for this country“, said Woldby.The cabinet's position on the third runway remains unclear. The Department for Transport said it was reviewing responses to the public consultation and considering the next steps. The department said the government supported airport expansion when it created growth and opportunity, but also met environmental requirements.
According to the government's assessment, the expansion of “Heathrow“ has the potential to bring about £40 billion in economic benefits to the country. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves backed the project in 2025 and said the third runway was "very much needed".
The construction of the third runway is estimated to cost £33 billion. The plan involves demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers and rerouting the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15, which is to pass through a tunnel under the new runway.
“Heathrow“ serves over 80 million passengers a year with four terminals and two runways. The expansion could increase the number of flights from the current limit of 480,000 to 720,000 per year, or an average of nearly 2,000 per day.
The original plan was for the third runway to be operational by 2035. Due to planning and regulatory issues, the airport has now delayed it until 2039. Investors are due to decide whether to proceed with the project in early 2027.
Heathrow is owned by a consortium led by French private equity firm Ardian. Other investors include the Qatar Investment Authority, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and the China Investment Corporation. The project is facing resistance from local residents, politicians and environmental organizations.
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