Heathrow’s third runway delayed until 2039

Politics / 25 September 2026 Polanski heckled at by-election husting for condemning zionism 25 September 2026 Jewish Voice for Liberation, however, praises the Green Party leader's stance and for showing that ‘Jews are not one homogeneous bloc’

HEATHROW’S third runway has been delayed for four years until 2039, it is understood.

Bosses at Britain’s largest and busiest airport have told the government that sticking to the current 2035 deadline is not possible.

The 2035 deadline was set by then-chancellor Rachel Reeves last January, and was considered an ambitious goal at the time.

The GMB union said the delay should not be an excuse to halt the runway.

Regional secretary Warren Kenny said: “Opponents of this runway will try to dress up a timetable as a verdict. It isn’t one.

“A project taking longer to build is not a reason not to build it. It’s a reason to start now.

“There are 108,000 jobs waiting on this decision. Every year of dithering is a year of apprenticeships not started, contracts not signed and wages not paid.”

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Our focus has always been to secure planning permission by 2029.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said it cannot comment on ongoing consultation processes and that the timeline “has always been ambitious.”

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander insisted the project could go ahead in a way that would not fall foul of climate change commitments.

Climate Crisis / 17 August 2026 ‘More drilling means more heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and suffering’ 17 August 2026 Burnham urged to stand up to the fossil fuel giants and reject plans to drill Britain’s largest untapped oil fields