Heathrow’s new runway pushed back to 2039 as Burnham leaves the call to London

Andy Burnham refused to say whether he supports a third runway at Heathrow when he was questioned about it several times in a television interview on Sunday 27 September. He said the decision was first and foremost one for London.

Each time he was pressed, the Prime Minister pointed to the recent consultation and said the responses should be weighed before the government settled on its next step. “I think, principally, it’s a matter for London,” he said. He added that it would be wrong for him to “just jump straight in” so soon after the consultation.

His Chancellor, John Healey, took a different line only weeks ago, when he gave the scheme firm government support. Rachel Reeves, Chancellor before him, had made the runway central to her plans for growth. Mr Burnham has questioned the project in the past, arguing that it would pull development money away from the North.

Heathrow third runway now expected in 2039

Heathrow now expects the new runway to be ready in 2039, four years later than the 2035 date first set. Airport bosses called 2035 “always an ambitious target” and said an earlier finish was still possible. According to a Heathrow spokesperson, the aim is to win planning permission by 2029, and the runway would then open within a decade.

Once the terminal upgrades and the rerouting of the M25 are counted, the bill comes to an estimated £49bn. With the extra runway, Heathrow could handle up to 756,000 flights a year, with room for as many as 150 million passengers. Heathrow says private money would pay for the runway and that it would create 108,000 jobs. The Department for Transport said no planning application for a third runway is live at the moment. MPs are due to vote on the final plans after the consultation closes.

Who supports and who opposes Heathrow expansion

The mayor, Sadiq Khan, has opposed a bigger Heathrow for years. Green Party leader Zack Polanski called the runway a “great betrayal”. He spoke out after the Climate Change Committee, which advises the government on climate, found “no credible pathway” for the runway to fit the country’s legally binding carbon targets while aviation policy stays as it is.

Business group BusinessLDN backs the scheme. Its transport programme director, Ed Richardson, said the runway would bring tens of billions of pounds of private investment and called on the government to press ahead quickly. GMB general secretary Gary Smith described 2039 as a “deliverable, workable and practical” timeline.