London Heathrow's £49 Billion 3rd Runway Delayed By 4 Years, Won't Open Until 2039

Published Sep 26, 2026, 3:56 PM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. The third runway for London Heathrow Airport (LHR)is now expected not to be completed until at least 2039, insiders have said, after the original deadline of 2035 was deemed unrealistic. The airport is expected to secure planning permission by 2039, after which it should open within a decade. This project, at one of Europe's busiest airports, has been discussed for decades, and the ambitious 2035 target would have required significant changes to current regulations and policy. The new runway is now planned to open within ten years of receiving planning permission. Credit: Colinmthompson | Shutterstock From Boris Johnson suggesting a new airport in the River Thames, to the current Prime Minister not being a fan of a third runway at Heathrow at all, the debate is about how London can expand its busiest airport. Last year, the labor government backed a third runway, arguing that it is vital to support economic growth. According to Reuters, the government has approved a £49 billion ($64.92 billion) Heathrow expansion plan, including £15 billion ($19.88 billion) for the new runway alone. This includes re-routing London's orbital motorway (M25) and designing and building a new airport terminal for £33 billion ($43.73 billion). Heathrow is currently Europe's busiest airport and has operated at full capacity for decades. It has just two runways, less than half of what is seen at other major European airports; details below: Airport IATA Code Total Number Of Runways Amsterdam Airport Schiphol AMS 6 Frankfurt Airport FRA 4 Paris Charles de Gaulle CDG 6 A Plan To Simplify The Planning Process Credit: Ceri Breeze | Shutterstock With Heathrow serving more than 80 million travelers a year, the airport has warned that plans for the third runway could be delayed by up to four years (2035 to 2039) because of planning and regulatory issues. Heathrow's earlier deadline has become increasingly difficult to deliver without changes to the planning process. The Department for Transport (DFT) has stressed that the airport timeline was ambitious and would require stakeholders to work at pace to meet the deadline. For Heathrow, the core scenario has always been to open a third runway, but the expected completion date has now stretched to the end of the next decade. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has previously been overly critical of the new runway; however, since entering office, he has been more open-minded about the project. Despite facing opposition from environmental campaigners and residents, the project is expected to create more than 100,000 jobs and boost the local economy as part of its wider £49 billion ($64.92 billion) modernization of the airport. A Cap Of 480,000 Flights A Year Credit: Rob Atherton | Shutterstock With Heathrow already bursting at the seams and operating at full capacity each year, the airport's current flights are capped at 480,000 each year. With the addition of a third runway, this would increase the current capacity to 720,000 flights a year, a difference of 240,000 annually, or nearly 2,000 a day. As a comparison, Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) handles around 474,000 flights annually, 478,000 per year in Amsterdam, and 460,000 in Frankfurt. The draft planning framework for the airport's expansion was published in June this year, and once finalized, it will face a parliamentary vote, which may not occur until next year. There is no current live planning application for the third runway, as confirmed by the DfT and according to the BBC. Heathrow's expansion plans are a national project which would be 100% privately financed. This development is vital to support growth, secure the United Kingdom's position as a global economy, and transform its largest and busiest airport to be future-ready. Heathrow is one of six airports serving Greater London and is the home of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.