> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thecontrail.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Heathrow Says Its New Runway Won't Be Ready Until 2039 - URL: https://www.thecontrail.org/heathrow-third-runway-delayed-2039/ - Published: 2026-09-26T12:20:39.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-26T12:20:39.000Z - Description: London's busiest airport says it can't hit the government's 2035 deadline, which means four more years of a Heathrow that's already full. - Author: Zach Benitez - Tags: News, Breaking News Heathrow's long-promised third runway won't be ready until 2039 at the earliest, four years after the date the British government set for it. Airport executives have told ministers the 2035 target can't be met, according to The Times, and the government has responded that the date "has always been ambitious." The runway is the centerpiece of a £49 billion (more than $60 billion) expansion that would let Heathrow handle up to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers a year. Last November, the government chose Heathrow's own proposal as the basis for the project and set 2035 as the target for first flights. That plan calls for a 3,500-meter runway to the northwest of the airport, supported by a new terminal complex west of Terminal 5\. Even at the time, industry observers called the 2035 date highly optimistic. Timeline ### Heathrow's Third Runway Cost £49 billion Runway length 2.2 miles Flights per year 480k → 756k Expected opening 2039 2003 A Labour government first proposes a third runway at Heathrow. 2010 The new coalition government scraps the plan. June 2018 Parliament votes to back the runway. 2020 A court rules the plan unlawful, then the Supreme Court overturns that ruling in December. Nov. 2025 The government picks Heathrow's design and sets **2035** for first flights. July 2026 Andy Burnham, a longtime critic of the runway, becomes prime minister. Sept. 2026 Heathrow tells ministers 2035 can't be met.Now 2039 New expected opening, four years late. Contrail --- ## What It Means for Travelers As [we reported earlier this month](https://www.thecontrail.org/heathrow-slots-40-airlines-flight-cap/), what actually limits Heathrow is a government cap of 480,000 flights a year, and the airport already operates close to that ceiling. Every year the runway slips is another year in which airlines fight over the same fixed number of slots, the permission to take off or land at a specific time. For passengers, that scarcity tends to show up as higher fares on the busiest routes and fewer new destinations, since airlines put their limited slots toward the flights that earn the most. It also makes delays harder to recover from, because a schedule with no slack has nowhere to absorb a late arrival. --- ## The Politics The delay lands at an awkward moment for the project. Andy Burnham, who became prime minister in July, has reportedly told Labour lawmakers he has never been in favor of Heathrow expansion. He hasn't said publicly what he'll do, but his position puts him at odds with Chancellor John Healey. As Britain's finance minister, Healey has given the project his full backing and argues the economic case for it stacks up. Burnham has said in the past that spare capacity at Manchester and Birmingham should be used instead of building at Heathrow. The government's independent climate advisers at the Climate Change Committee have also warned that expansion conflicts with the UK's climate targets. Heathrow still needs planning approval before construction can begin, and Burnham is reportedly waiting on a report from Parliament's Transport Committee before saying more. We'll update this story as more details come in.