LONDON, UK— London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is facing a four-year delay to its long-awaited third runway, with the £49 billion expansion now expected to become operational by 2039 instead of the previously targeted 2035.
Heathrow has said it remains focused on securing planning permission by 2029, after which the runway would be delivered within a decade.
The expansion is designed to increase capacity at one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs and support additional international connectivity.
Heathrow Runway Delay Extends a Decade
The 2039 timeline reflects the length of the planning and regulatory process surrounding the project.
Heathrow has spent years preparing for expansion, but the airport now considers the earlier 2035 target difficult to achieve within the existing framework.
The UK government launched a consultation on a draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement in June 2026.
The framework is intended to establish how a future third-runway application will be assessed, including its effects on air quality, climate change, noise, communities and economic growth.
The government has also confirmed that the policy statement itself does not grant permission to build the runway. Heathrow will still need to submit a formal development consent application after the planning framework is finalized.
£49 Billion Expansion for London Heathrow
Heathrow’s wider expansion programme is expected to require £49 billion in private investment.
The airport’s current proposal allocates about £21 billion to the third runway, with the remainder covering new and upgraded terminals, transport links and other supporting infrastructure.
The proposed Northwest Runway would be up to 3,500 meters long and would require major changes to the airport’s surrounding infrastructure.
These include realigning part of the M25 motorway, expanding terminal facilities and increasing cargo capacity.
Heathrow expects the programme to support substantial employment and economic activity across the UK.
The government has separately estimated that expansion could support more than 60,000 new local jobs, while Heathrow says the wider project would create tens of thousands of employment opportunities.
Heathrow Will Have 756,000 Annual Flights
The new runway would significantly increase Heathrow’s potential aircraft movement capacity.
Heathrow’s proposal would raise annual flights from around 480,000 currently to as many as 756,000, representing up to 276,000 additional movements each year, Simple Flying flagged.
The airport also expects the expanded facility to handle as many as 150 million passengers annually.
Its plans include a new terminal complex, upgrades to existing terminals and additional infrastructure to accommodate the larger operation.
The scale of the project places Heathrow’s expansion among the UK’s most significant aviation infrastructure developments.
However, the 2039 target remains dependent on the completion of the planning process and subsequent approval of the airport’s formal expansion application.
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