Heathrow’s third runway can be built and operating in a decade’s time, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said. She wants to see “spades in the ground” in the current Parliament and planes to start using the runway by 2035. She also said that Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London who is opposed to Heathrow’s expansion, could not stop the new runway.
The extra runway at Heathrow was one of a number of infrastructure projects announced by the chancellor on Wednesday as part of the government’s plans to boost economic growth.
Reeves told the BBC: “We think that we can get flights off within a decade. I say that because we’re not just announcing that we back it, we are changing the way that our planning system works to make it easier to deliver projects like the third runway at Heathrow.”
She said there were now more efficient plane engines and the use of sustainable aviation fuel was a “game changer”. However, supplies of this fuel are currently very low.
Some have argued that it will take much longer than a decade for a third runway at Heathrow to become reality. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has called the plan “a dead cat”.
The project still has to go through a formal planning process, and the airport’s expansion is highly controversial – facing opposition from environmental groups, local authorities and nearby residents.
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