Heathrow’s £33bn third-runway proposal faces a ministerial decision after a four-year delay, with the airport pressing for approval. The airport says 60% of the financial benefits would accrue outside London and the South East. That underpins its argument that physical expansion is crucial to economic growth across all parts of the UK.

What is Heathrow asking ministers to approve?

Heathrow wants ministerial backing for the long-delayed project. Boss Thomas Woldbye said: “The case for Heathrow expansion is an indisputable case for growth across the entire UK.”

He added: “With backing from ministers to provide the right policy and regulatory framework, expansion will unlock highly skilled jobs, drive a new era of industrial growth, and strengthen our domestic connectivity.”

The financing claim is equally direct: Heathrow says the project could be financed entirely by private investment and requires no taxpayer funding. On the airport’s account, the investment burden would rest with private investors rather than taxpayers.

How is Heathrow building support beyond London?

Heathrow said it was “laying the groundwork” for expansion by signing an agreement with Welsh Steel to power the expansion and hosting its second regional business summit in Liverpool.

The airport has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding, a statement of shared intentions, with the Regional and Business Airports Group, which represents roughly 40 airfields. The pact carries a pledge to protect and expand domestic connections to hubs such as Belfast, Inverness and Newquay.

Heathrow’s strategy combines three claims: benefits would be distributed beyond London, domestic links would be protected and expanded, and private finance would cover the project. The first two address who gains; the third addresses how it gets funded.

What do the latest traffic figures show?

Heathrow handled nearly 7.3m passengers in October, 1% fewer than in the same period a year earlier, according to the airport’s operational data. Total flight movements fell 3.4% to 39,809.

The route breakdown was mixed. Domestic travel within the UK fell 6%, demand for the Middle East dropped 21%, and Asia-Pacific demand rose 7.5%. Heathrow’s October figures therefore show a network with uneven demand, rather than uniform weakness or growth.

Where does the government stand?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not given the project his full backing since taking office. In September, he told the BBC that it was “a matter for London and Londoners”.

Chancellor John Healey takes a different line, arguing that building the airport has “always been a case for growth”.

Heathrow’s pitch is aimed at a wider circle of approval than London alone, consistent with its 60% benefits claim. For the airport, Burnham’s position and Healey’s growth argument leave the question of national political support unresolved.

The Transport Department led a consultation on the proposals that closed at the beginning of September. Healey said the findings were under review, with further decisions to follow.

Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government-backed expansion last year. She called it “badly needed” and said the government could not “duck the decision any longer”.

How much extra capacity would a third runway unlock?

Heathrow serves more than 80m travellers a year across four passenger terminals and two runways. Flight movements are capped at 480,000, a limit that could rise to 720,000 with a third runway.

That would add 2,000 flights per day. The operational gain is clear; the political requirement is ministerial approval. Heathrow’s £33bn proposal, private-finance claim and 60% out-of-London benefits case now await a decision.