Heathrow Airport (LHR) announced on Thursday, Jan. 15, that its board had approved an investment to start a planning application for a third runway, noting that regulatory and policy decisions in 2026 would determine whether the expansion proceeds to the next phase.
What’s next?
The airport said that regulatory and policy decisions in 2026 would determine if the expansion proceeds to the next phase, adding that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) needed to clarify how early development costs for the project would be recovered.
Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow’s CEO, stated that the:
“Heathrow expansion is a critical national project,” adding that “Maintaining momentum will mean the CAA and Ministers remain focussed on securing the benefits of the project by meeting vital milestones in 2026 that are essential to enabling the next phase of delivery.”
The Department for Transport is expected to publish a draft Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) this summer, setting out the framework for decisions on airport expansion.
The current Labour government has stated it wants to make a final decision on the expansion by 2029 and have the third runway operational within a decade.
The complicated history of Heathrow’s possible third runway
It is not the first time that the government has aimed for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
In May 2003, the British Airports Authority (BAA plc) publicly admitted for the first time that it wanted approval for the third runway. The response was strong condemnation and opposition from local groups, climate activists, politicians, and even the aviation sector itself.
After years of back-and-forth, the British parliament approved the Airports National Policy Statement backing a third runway in 2018.
Only two years later, in 2020, the Court of Appeal ruled the government’s approval unlawful for failing to consider the Paris climate agreement, but the Supreme Court overturned that decision later the same year.
After being delayed by legal uncertainty, rising costs, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction of Heathrow’s third runway will be largely determined by decisions made in 2026 by the government and the CAA.
What do you think of Heathrow’s foreseen expansion? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
