Heathrow and the third runway: Chancellor Healey calls the project a growth driver, Mayor Burnham holds back

The key facts

Chancellor John Healey backs the Heathrow third runway as an

Chancellor backs Heathrow expansion

Chancellor John Healey, speaking at the International Monetary Fund meetings in Bangkok, said that building a third runway at Heathrow airport

Mayor avoids direct support

Mayor Andy Burnham declined to say whether he supports the project, telling the BBC it is

Airport's position and project status

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye warned this week that abandoning the third runway would be an

Details and timeline

Heathrow serves more than 80 million passengers a year with four terminals and two runways. The flight limit, currently 480,000 a year, could rise to 720,000 with a third runway — almost 2,000 on average per day. The project is estimated at £33 billion: hundreds of homes would be demolished, rivers redirected, and the M25 motorway rerouted through a tunnel between junctions 14 and 15. Opening was planned for 2035 subject to plans being submitted and approved, but Heathrow admits a possible four-year delay — to 2039 — due to planning and regulatory issues.