Heathrow CEO Urges Government to Settle Third Runway Fate

Heathrow's chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, says failing to build a third runway would be a "huge missed opportunity" for the UK, because the airport's private owners will simply put their money elsewhere if London does not move forward, according to BBC News.

Woldbye made the comments to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, telling the show it would be "good to know" where the government stands after Prime Minister Andy Burnham declined to say whether he backs expansion, the BBC reported.

What exactly did Heathrow's CEO say?

Woldbye's warning centers on where capital goes if the runway is not approved. "If they cannot invest in Heathrow... then that money will be invested somewhere else in the world," he told Today, per the BBC. "It's not about allocating this money elsewhere. It's private money. It's not public money. So hence, it will not go into the UK."

"I think that would be really a sad, huge missed opportunity for this country." — Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow CEO

Heathrow is owned by a consortium led by French private equity firm Ardian, alongside the Qatar Investment Authority, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and the China Investment Corporation, the BBC noted. Woldbye's argument is that expansion money is investor capital, not taxpayer funds, so a no-go decision does not keep the money in Britain by default — it simply redirects it to projects abroad.

Why is the government's position still unclear?

Burnham, who opposed the scheme while serving as Mayor of Greater Manchester, told the BBC he views the decision as "for London and Londoners." "I think we ought to hear the voice of people there first. It's not right for me to just jump straight in on the back of the consultation," he said.

That statement leaves open a question Woldbye wants answered: whether the current government intends to follow through on the expansion backing announced last year by then-chancellor Rachel Reeves, who said "a third runway is badly needed" and that ministers could not "duck the decision any longer," according to the BBC.

The Department for Transport told the BBC it is reviewing consultation responses and "considering the appropriate next steps." A spokesperson added that the government supports airport expansion "across the country where this can contribute to growth and opportunity, while meeting the tests on the environment," and said Heathrow expansion has the "potential to deliver around £40 billion in economic benefits across the country."

What would building the runway actually require?

A third runway would mean demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers, and rerouting the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15 through a tunnel beneath the new runway, the BBC reported. The project has been debated for decades and has drawn opposition from local residents, politicians, and climate campaigners.

By the numbers

• £33 billion — estimated construction cost for the third runway, per the BBC.
• £40 billion — economic benefits the government says expansion could deliver nationwide, according to the Department for Transport.
• 480,000 to 720,000 — the potential rise in annual flights if a third runway is built, up from the current cap, the BBC reported.
• 2035 to 2039 — Heathrow's original runway-opening target slipped by four years, which the airport attributes to planning and regulatory issues, per the BBC.

How many passengers and flights does Heathrow handle now?

Heathrow currently serves more than 80 million travelers a year across four passenger terminals and two runways, with flights capped at 480,000 annually, the BBC reported. A third runway could push that ceiling to 720,000 flights a year — nearly 2,000 a day on average — which Heathrow argues would translate into higher revenue for its owners and a broader economic boost, including new jobs.

What happens next on the third runway decision?

Woldbye suggested a government decision is likely in the new year, according to the BBC. Several markers will show which direction the project is heading:

• Formal government response to the expansion consultation, which the Department for Transport says is still under review.
• Any public statement from Burnham beyond his comments that the decision is "for London and Londoners."
• Signals from Heathrow's owners — Ardian, the Qatar Investment Authority, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and the China Investment Corporation — about alternative investments if the UK stalls.
• Updated timeline guidance from Heathrow, given the airport has already pushed its opening target from 2035 to 2039.

The core dispute is unresolved: Heathrow frames the runway as a growth opportunity worth tens of billions of pounds, while opponents cite the housing, river, and motorway disruption required to build it. The BBC's reporting shows both the economic case and the logistical cost laid out by the parties directly involved, with the government not yet having stated a final position.