Heathrow warns third runway may be delayed by FOUR years over planning rows

Heathrow says the UK’s third runway plans could slip by up to four years due to planning disputes. The government had targeted flights from a new London runway by 2035, supported by a January 2025 announcement from then-Chancellor Rachel Reeves that framed the project as an economic growth engine and promised 100,000 jobs. Heathrow bosses now believe the runway could be ready in 2039, aiming instead to secure planning permission by 2029 and open it within a decade after that. The Department for Transport called the timeline ambitious. The Climate Change Committee has warned expansion can’t proceed without forcing aviation emissions cuts, potentially increasing costs for international travel by hundreds of pounds by 2050.