Heathrow boss warns investors 'cannot wait forever' as he urges Burnham to back third runway

The boss of Heathrow has urged Andy Burnham to explicitly back the airport's third runway. 

Thomas Woldbye warned its owners 'cannot wait forever' and would reassess their £33billion plans if the Prime Minister does not greenlight the runway, despite winning the backing of unions, airlines, regional airports and investors.

Burnham has previously raised concerns over Heathrow's third runway, which he claimed takes investment 'away from the North and traps it in London'.

Heathrow's investors, which include Qatar and Singapore's sovereign wealth funds, reportedly must decide in the new year whether to submit a formal planning application for a third runway.

'They do think that things are taking a long and so far they have decided to be OK with that… but of course we cannot wait forever,' Woldbye told the Financial Times.

'At some point we need a level of certainty. I think by the end of the year we'll be looking and saying: 'Let's assess, let's take stock and see where we are'.'

Former chancellor Rachel Reeves set out a timeline for building work to start by 2029 with the third runway partly operational by 2035, but delays mean Heathrow has pushed the earliest opening date to 2039.

It came as Heathrow published figures showing a 2.3 per cent year-on-year drop in passengers in September to 7.2million, driven by plummeting numbers of those travelling from the Middle East.

Despite this, the West London travel hub insisted that demand continues to outstrip capacity, with airlines looking to launch or expand services having to choose overseas hubs, taking trade and connectivity away from the UK.

New figures published today show cargo traffic through Heathrow increased by 5 per cent year-on-year, underpinning the airport's argument that expansion would increase export capacity by 50 per cent.

'The debate about whether the UK needs additional hub airport capacity has been settled,' said Woldbye, who faces the Transport Select Committee this week.

'Businesses, trade unions, regional airports, airlines and politicians agree that better global connections are critical if the UK is to compete, trade and grow.'

He added: 'There is now a clear path forward. The private investment is available, the benefits are well understood and the Government has confirmed expansion can be delivered within net zero targets. 

'After decades of discussion, Parliament now has the opportunity to unlock a project that can deliver lasting benefits for generations to come. We are ready to deliver it.'

MPs will this week scrutinise the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement, the policy framework published by the Government in June.

This must be approved before any third runway application can proceed, with a vote expected before the end of next month.

Burnham has previously declined to back Heathrow's plans, saying it was a matter for people who live near the London airport.

Heathrow said polling of more than 9,000 residents across nine local boroughs found 68 per cent support the expansion, which the airport says would create 100,000 jobs.