More than 40 airlines are seeking slots at London Heathrow, where demand continues to exceed available capacity, intensifying pressure for a third runway at the UK’s busiest airport. Heathrow says the constraint is forcing carriers to use competing overseas hubs, limiting UK connectivity, trade and growth opportunities as Parliament reviews the project’s expansion policy framework.
Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye is due to give evidence to the Transport Select Committee later this week during its review of the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement. The airport is using the slot demand to argue that expansion would accommodate new airlines and routes, increase competition and potentially lower fares.
Airlines, regional airports including Aberdeen, Belfast City, Cornwall Newquay, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle and Teesside, trade unions and businesses are among those identified as supporting the project. Heathrow’s proposed scheme would be privately financed and is estimated to cost about £33 billion, raising annual capacity to roughly 150 million passengers and 756,000 flights.
The previously discussed 2035 opening target is now considered unlikely, with the third runway potentially delayed until 2039. The project remains subject to parliamentary scrutiny, government policy, planning approval and financing decisions. Investors could reassess the proposal if progress remains slow, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not made an unequivocal commitment.