Heathrow Airport CEO still skeptical on third runway project

The head of London Heathrow Airport expressed doubt about whether a billion-dollar project to build a third runway will go ahead, saying planning complexities this year could hinder progress. While the UK’s biggest airport has received strong support for its expansion plans from the Labour government, there are still challenges to overcome, such as airspace modernization, more political decisions and further regulation, Chief Executive Officer Thomas Woldbye said Thursday. [caption id="attachment_57295444" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] The UK government approved an expansion plan last year. (Courtesy/Heathrow Airport)[/caption] “I’m not sure of anything,” he said at an Aviation Club event in London. “Lots of stuff has to be done this year in order to enable the actual commencement of building the third runway,” Woldbye said. “If that doesn’t happen then I think we have to resort to the fact that it’s not going to happen.” The UK government last year approved Heathrow’s £49 billion ($67 billion) expansion plan, which includes building a third runway, upgrading terminals, and adjacent infrastructure. The planning decision is expected by 2029, and the new runway is set to be operational by 2035. The concept of a third Heathrow runway has been floated for decades, with past governments either backing or blocking the expansion proposal. It’s recently become a controversial topic given the current plan requires burying part of a major highway near London and demolishing hundreds of homes in the area. Asked whether he had confidence that the third runway would go ahead regardless of which political party was in power after the next election in 2029, Woldbye said: “I’m not confident of anything, particularly in London when it comes to politics.” Despite supporting expansion at Heathrow, some airlines operating there, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., have criticized the current plans, saying the facility will become even more expensive to use, and construction costs may trigger higher operating fees. Woldbye said the airlines have so far provided “very few answers” about what they would like included in the expansion project. Woldbye became CEO of Heathrow in 2023 after heading up Copenhagen Airport for more than 12 years. Since joining, he has led the expansion campaign and completed upgrading security scanners, but he’s also been criticized over his handling of an airport shutdown last year caused by a fire at a nearby power substation. Cargo Facts will present four invaluable events for airfreight professionals in 2026, the next of which is <a style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://cargofactsevents.com/asia/?utm_campaign=22235567-CF%20Asia%202026&utm_source=Editorial&utm_medium=article%20event%20footer&utm_term=CF%20website&utm_content=Learn%20More&utm_source=Weekly+Update+-+Cargo+Facts&utm_campaign=fbe548904b-CF+Update_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_621baa6827-fbe548904b-40083601&mc_cid=fbe548904b&mc_eid=adbe8bb0b4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cargo Facts Asia on March 23-25. To see the agendas and register for the events, visit CargoFactsEvents.com .

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