The final decision on the controversial third runway at Heathrow will be made by 2025, says the airport's boss.

• The construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport in London has gained positive momentum in discussions with the U.K. government, despite being a controversial project for decades.
• Thomas Woldbye stated at the Airlines 2024 conference that this infrastructure project in the U.K. would be one of the largest in history, and therefore, the government must be on board. If not, the project will be forgotten.
• Woldbye stated that he required a decision by the end of 2025 to prevent Europe's busiest airport from continuing to waste money and time.

The CEO of Heathrow stated on Monday that he plans to urge the U.K. government to make a final decision on the construction of a third runway at the London airport by the end of 2025, as the latest discussions have shown "positive momentum."

Thomas Woldbye stated at the Airlines 2024 conference that the airport required more capacity to support the government's economic growth and industrial strategy. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the state's approval of the plans, which have been contentious for years, was ultimately necessary.

If we want to exceed a certain number of passengers at Heathrow, we need a third runway, according to Woldbye.

"To determine if we want a runway, we must consider the involvement of airlines, government, parliament, and everyone around us. If the U.K. does not desire a runway, it will not be constructed. This decision is not solely for Heathrow to make. We are the executors, but transportation strategy is a government issue. Woldbye acknowledged the difficulty of this decision."

"The project is already there, and we know how to construct it. It has been present for a considerable period of time," he stated. "I will go to the U.K. government and convey all this information. However, this project would be one of the largest infrastructure initiatives in U.K. history, so we must inquire from the government whether they are willing to join us on this journey. If not, we will abandon it."

Woldbye stated that there was "certainly positive momentum" behind discussions with the new Labour administration and anticipated a final decision by the end of 2025 "in one direction or another."

If we don't make a decision and get the right one, we will continue to waste money and time. I am serious about getting a decision that aligns with the overall U.K. strategy. Woldbye stated that if the project receives government approval but no public funding, then the airport must present a clear, costed proposal to Heathrow shareholders, which he believed would gain support.

The airport aims to maximize its capacity by implementing efficiency measures on its existing two runways and has no plans to build a third runway, according to him.

Earlier in the day, U.K. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh stated that she will always support airport expansion if it contributes to economic growth and adheres to environmental obligations.

For almost twenty years, there has been a debate about constructing a third runway at Europe's busiest airport, with the plans undergoing multiple government, legal, and public reviews.

Heathrow expansion is strongly opposed by environmental groups like Friends of the Earth due to its potential to increase greenhouse gas emissions and harm local wildlife. Additionally, some argue that it will increase noise pollution and traffic in a densely populated residential area, necessitating significant public disruption, including major works to the M25, the primary road encircling London.

In 2020, the U.K.'s highest court reversed a lower court's decision that a previous government's approval of a third runway was unlawful due to a lack of consideration for the country's Paris agreement commitments.

Airlines would welcome the expansion of Heathrow, as it would alleviate the fierce competition and high costs they face when purchasing flight slots at the transport hub.

In 2023, Heathrow passenger numbers increased from 62 million in 2022 to 79 million, surpassing the airline's record of 80.9 million passengers in 2019 as the pandemic travel rebound continued.

The airport's expansion proposal, released six years ago, proposes building a third runway to the north west of the current two and replacing the existing Terminal 3 with a new terminal building.

The airline's operations are currently limited to 480,000 flights per year, but its current plan aims to increase that number by an additional 260,000 flights.