Heathrow Airport has warned it may abandon plans for a third runway unless Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urgently provides his support for the project. Thomas Woldbye, Chief Executive of Heathrow, stated that the airport cannot continue investing in the expansion without clear backing from the Government.
Woldbye made the warning while speaking at the Airlines 2024 conference, emphasising the urgency of the situation. “We need to get around the table and say, do we want this? And we need to do that relatively fast because we cannot keep spending money,” he explained. The Heathrow CEO made it clear that a coordinated effort involving the Government, Parliament, airlines, and the airport itself is crucial to move forward with the £14 billion expansion plan.
Heathrow has been pushing for a third runway for over two decades, but Woldbye noted that without clear Government support, the airport cannot continue its investments. “We can’t do this just as a single company. Transportation strategy is a government issue,” he stated. The airport has already spent significant funds on planning and development, but without knowing if the Government will provide full support, continuing the project is financially unsustainable.
The threat comes as Heathrow faces a growing sense of uncertainty surrounding the project. Woldbye outlined that he needed to know by next year whether Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Government would provide enough backing for the expansion. He also warned that the airport would need “something quite tangible” to convince shareholders to proceed with the development. Heathrow’s owners, which include international investors such as Spain’s Ferrovial and Qatar’s Qatar Investment Authority, have already shown their willingness to back the project, provided certain conditions are met.
The third runway proposal has sparked opposition from a number of Labour MPs, many of whom have voiced concerns over the environmental impact, particularly regarding carbon emissions and noise pollution. The Government has said that any approval for the project will need to address these issues, though it has not yet specified exactly what criteria would need to be met. Woldbye acknowledged that building a third runway would make it more challenging for the UK to meet its carbon targets but stressed that the expansion could also play a role in supporting the Government’s economic growth agenda.
Despite these environmental concerns, Woldbye remained confident that the runway could support future growth in the air travel market. Heathrow’s current passenger capacity sits at around 85 million, though it could increase to 95 million through expansions to Terminal 2 and Terminal 5. However, Woldbye pointed out that this would still fall short of the expected rise in demand for air travel, with the new runway expected to increase capacity by a further 25 million passengers annually.
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At the same conference, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh expressed her support for the expansion of airports in principle but underscored that it is essential for airports to demonstrate how their proposals will comply with climate targets. She stressed that airports must show clear evidence of their plans to mitigate the environmental impact before any final decisions are made.
Heathrow’s owners, which include Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial, Qatar’s Qatar Investment Authority, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and French private equity firm Ardian, have expressed strong support for the third runway, as long as the right conditions are in place. Woldbye reiterated this, saying, “There is quite strong support from our owners, given the right conditions.”
Despite the continued uncertainty surrounding the project, Woldbye remains hopeful that the momentum for airport expansion will continue. In a country struggling with rising demand for air travel, the need for an expanded Heathrow has never been more pressing. However, with environmental concerns and political hurdles to overcome, the fate of the third runway hangs in the balance.
The Government has been approached for comment, but it is clear that time is of the essence if the airport is to continue its pursuit of the expansion. Without swift action, Heathrow may be forced to abandon the project, leaving a significant gap in the UK’s future aviation capacity.
