Today, 16 January 2026, Heathrow Airport approved new investment to begin work on a planning application for a third runway. This is being promoted as a significant step forward for the project. This decision is intended to enable essential preparatory work to start, although the project’s progression remains contingent on key regulatory and government policy decisions expected throughout 2026.
Key milestones for the project include expected regulatory and policy decisions in 2026, leading towards a government target of full planning permission by 2029 and the runway being operational within a decade. The project, intended to increase capacity and enhance trade, has an estimated cost of around £21 billion for the runway and approximately £49 billion total.
Heathrow Airport see delivering the project as complex. The appropriate regulatory and policy frameworks will need to be in place to enable the next phase of delivery. Decisions on these key issues will need to be made by the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority throughout 2026.
The full project timetable and details can be found on airportindustry-news.com.