Heathrow to submit third runway plan by end of month

Heathrow today confirmed that proposals will be submitted to government by July 31 on how it can secure long-term capacity growth with a third runway. 

 

“Our plans will be entirely privately financed and have the potential to kick-start economic growth across the whole of the UK from construction through to operation,” the airport said as it revealed record half year passenger levels but saw profits drop by a third.

 

“Depending on the government’s response, we would aim to meet their ambition to secure planning permission in this Parliament and for the runway to be operational by 2035. 

 

“New capacity would boost competition and choice for consumers, drive economic growth for the UK and improve operational resilience at the UK’s hub airport.”

 

Meanwhile, the airport’s five year investment plan to 2031 was described as the next step in a strategy “to become an extraordinary airport", fit for the future. 

 

“Built around customer feedback and insight, our plan will improve passenger experience, boost operational resilience and enable airline growth," Heathrow said.

 

“It is designed to be delivered affordably with the airport charge remaining competitive with global hubs and below what it was a decade ago. 

 

"This private investment in UK infrastructure will boost jobs and drive growth in this Parliament. The CAA is now reviewing the plan.”

 

Reflecting on the airport’s power outage closure on March 21 due to a fire at an off-site electricity sub-station, Heathrow said it will implement all 28 recommendations from a review conducted by former transport secretary Ruth Kelly, “which are intended to strengthen the airport’s resilience and ability to respond effectively to future incidents”.  

 

The National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) has published its final report from the review into the North Hyde sub-station outage. 

 

The report found clear failings by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) that resulted in a loss for both Heathrow and airlines, according to the airport. 

 

“We welcome this report which provides important insight into the external power supply failure that led to the airport’s closure,” Heathrow said.

 

“Our expectation is that NGET takes accountability for these failings which the NESO report confirms could have been prevented.” 

 

Heathrow handled a record of almost 40 million passengers in the first six months of 2025 despite “macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical events”. 

 

Larger aircraft and strong demand for Asia-Pacific and Middle East destinations were primary drivers of growth for flights in the first half the year.

 

Transatlantic travel “remains healthy”, and these links contributed to a 2.4% growth in trade through Heathrow. 

 

“With a busy summer holiday getting underway and continued strong leisure demand, we remain on-track to meet our forecast of over 84 million passengers this year,” Heathrow said.

 

The projection came despite the airport reporting a 37.2% year-on-year fall in half year pre-tax profits from £323 million to £203 million. 

 

Adjusted operating costs increased by 3.2% to £765 million due to higher maintenance costs to support operational performance, increased National Insurance contributions and higher electricity prices, according to Heathrow.

 

This came as revenue edged up by 1.9% to more than £1.7 billion and passenger throughput rose from 39.8 million to 39.9 million.

 

The higher revenue was driven by more long-haul flying and increased numbers of passengers using Heathrow’s shops and food and drink outlets.

 

More flights are departing on-time this year against any other major hub in Europe, Heathrow claimed.  

 

“This strong performance is coupled with 98% of passengers waiting less than five minutes at security and circa 99% of bags travelling with their passengers,” the airport noted. 

 

Chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “We are delivering on our vision to become an extraordinary airport, fit for the future. We are welcoming record passenger numbers and improving the services that matter most. 

 

“Our new five-year investment plan will mean faster, more reliable journeys, more on-time flights and unlock room to grow - all while delivering better value for customers. 

 

"We will soon submit our long-term expansion plans to the government, providing the UK with the opportunity to stay competitive, boost jobs and drive nationwide growth. Heathrow has an exciting future ahead and we are ready to get going."