Burnham withholds support for Heathrow third runway as airport revises timeline

Prime Minister Andy Burnham declined to back a third runway at Heathrow on Sunday, saying people near the London airport should be heard before he takes a position. His comments come as Heathrow’s projected opening has moved beyond the government’s earlier 2035 target, leaving the airport’s expansion timetable uncertain.

In a BBC interview reported by Reuters, Burnham said the issue was principally a matter for London and that he wanted to hear local voices before deciding. He said it would be wrong to take a position straight after the consultation. His remarks did not amount to an endorsement or a rejection of the runway.

What the consultation covered

The Department for Transport launched a public consultation in June on the framework for future planning decisions about Heathrow’s third runway. It sought views on noise, air quality, climate change and economic growth, and was scheduled to close on 1 September. Burnham’s reference to a consultation should therefore not be read as saying that this consultation was still open.

The proposed framework sets tests for any expansion scheme, including compatibility with climate targets and legal air quality limits. The government said it aimed for a final planning decision in 2029. Consulting on that framework did not itself give Heathrow permission to build a runway.

Why the date has shifted

Heathrow says it is focused on securing planning permission by 2029 and opening the runway within a decade of approval, according to The Independent. On that timetable, an opening could fall in 2039, four years after the government’s previous 2035 target. The date depends on permission and subsequent construction; it is a projection, not an approved opening schedule.

The Independent reported the Department for Transport’s response that there was no live planning application for a third runway and that the earlier timetable had always been ambitious. That distinction matters for residents and travellers: the government’s consultation addressed the rules for a future decision, while Heathrow’s eventual project proposal would still have to pass through planning.