Heathrow Airport has indicated that the planned third runway will open closer to 2039 than 2035, pushing the UK's largest cargo and passenger hub expansion by at least four years beyond the timeline it set out at the start of last year.

What did Heathrow say previously?

In its first quarter 2025 results, published 30 April 2025, Heathrow said it aimed for the third runway to be operational by 2035, subject to the UK Government's response. By January 2026 the airport had already moved that target: it told stakeholders the government timetable was to secure planning permission by 2029 and bring the runway into operation "within a decade, up to 2039."

In a statement to Reuters dated 26 September 2026, a Heathrow spokesperson characterised the earlier 2035 date as "an ambitious target." The spokesperson added: "Our focus has always been to secure planning permission by 2029. Once achieved the runway will be open within a decade." Heathrow did not respond to Air Cargo News' request for comment.

What does the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme include?

The third runway sits at the centre of Heathrow's expansion master plan. In November 2025, the UK government selected the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme submitted by Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) as the preferred option. The package comprises a 3.5 km runway and a tunnel beneath the development through which the M25 motorway will run — a structure that adds both engineering complexity and cost to the project.

The Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement said the HAL proposal "offered the most credible and deliverable option and would be the scheme to inform the Airports NPS review." In January 2026, Logistics UK welcomed Heathrow's approval of funding to begin work on a planning application for the third runway. Funding that planning application is, in the airport's own framing, an important initial step in securing approval by the 2029 target.

What will the 2026 public consultation cover?

Heathrow is preparing to launch its 2026 Public Consultation on 27 October. The eight-week exercise will run until 22 December, giving local residents an opportunity to examine the expansion proposals before the airport submits a formal planning application. The consultation will sit alongside the airport's continuing redevelopment of the Horseshoe cargo area, which it is conducting under what it calls a participatory stakeholder approach.

How did Heathrow's cargo market perform in 2025?

Cargo throughput at the airport in 2025 gives a baseline against which the expansion case rests. Heathrow moved 1.5 million tonnes in 2025, up 0.8% year on year. UK cargo volumes surged 29.7%, while North America-bound freight rose 4.6%. The airport is also supporting the rollout of the CCS-UK AIS (Advance Information System) portal for booking and monitoring trucks, a digital layer intended to improve turnaround for road feeder services moving freight to and from the apron.

What does the 2039 horizon mean for capacity and networks?

The slippage from 2035 to a window stretching up to 2039 lengthens the period during which Heathrow must operate on its existing two-runway footprint. A four-year deferral pushes any incremental slot addition beyond the planning horizons carriers typically use when committing to long-haul aircraft orders, leaving passenger airlines and cargo operators to plan around today's infrastructure for longer.

For cargo, the delay directly affects the throughput runway that delivered 1.5 million tonnes in 2025. With UK cargo volumes up 29.7% and North America up 4.6%, the airport's expansion case leans on volumes that will keep rising on a constrained system until the new runway arrives.

Whether the 2029 planning-permission target holds depends on the outcome of the upcoming consultation, the pace of the subsequent Airports NPS review, and the funding Heathrow secures for the planning application. The airport's next scheduled financial update will give the clearest read on whether the 2039 ceiling holds or slips further.