2026 was the year both of London's biggest airports cleared major hurdles to expansion. Gatwick's northern runway survived a Court of Appeal challenge, and Heathrow's third runway proposal was picked by government as the preferred basis for policy review. If you fly from either regularly, it's fair to ask what changes.
The honest answer for the next few years is: not much at the terminal, but the surface access question — how everyone actually gets to the airport — is the part worth paying attention to.
Where each project actually stands
Gatwick's northern runway. The airport has long had a standby runway too close to the main one to be used simultaneously. The plan moves it twelve metres north so both can operate together. Consent was granted in September 2025, upheld by the High Court in June 2026, and a Court of Appeal challenge failed in August 2026. The scheme is on course to bring the runway into routine use from 2030, allowing roughly 100,000 additional flights a year.
Heathrow's third runway. A £49 billion plan for a new runway and terminal complex was submitted in 2025 and selected by government in November 2025 as the preferred basis for reviewing national airports policy. Heathrow is aiming to complete the approval stage by around 2029, break ground after that, and have the runway operating in the first half of the 2030s. Capacity would rise from roughly 80 million passengers a year toward around 150 million.
Both are long projects. Neither delivers new runway capacity this decade.
What changes for passengers before then
All existing terminals stay open. Heathrow's four operating terminals continue running throughout the decision and construction phases. Rail services into the airport are unchanged. If you're flying this year or next, your terminal and your route to it work exactly as they do now — the Heathrow terminal guide still applies.
Ticket prices move slightly. The main near-term passenger effect is on airport charges. Regulatory decisions allowing Heathrow to recover early expansion costs add a small amount to fares — measured in pence per passenger from the tranche approved so far, not pounds.
Construction traffic arrives before capacity does. This is the practical one. Major airport works mean road layout changes, closures and diversions around the airport perimeter well before any new runway opens. That affects transfer journey times more than it affects flying.
Surface access is the real story
Here's the part that matters for anyone booking a transfer rather than a flight.
Transport for London estimated years ago that enabling a third runway at Heathrow would require £10–15 billion of surface access improvements — the roads and rail that carry passengers and staff to the airport. The London Assembly has repeatedly flagged surface transport as a constraint on expansion rather than an afterthought.
The logic is simple. An airport handling 150 million passengers instead of 80 million doesn't just need more runway; it needs a way for nearly twice as many people to physically arrive. Rail capacity, motorway junctions and terminal access roads all sit on that critical path.
For passengers, the practical implication over the coming years is that journey times to the airport become less predictable during works, even while the terminals themselves operate normally. Building a bigger buffer into airport transfers is the sensible response — our guide to booking an airport taxi in advance covers what to have ready.
What we'd actually plan around
Setting the 2030s aside, here's what affects a transfer booked this year:
- Allow more time than the map suggests, particularly for Heathrow and Gatwick runs during periods of roadworks.
- Give your flight number when booking. It lets the pickup adjust to your real landing time rather than a guessed one — useful whenever road conditions are variable.
- Confirm your terminal, not just the airport. Terminal allocations shift as airports reorganise; Gatwick's North and South terminals are a shuttle apart, and Heathrow's are in two separate locations.
- For early flights, book further ahead. See the early morning airport taxi guide.
If you're weighing which London airport to fly from in the first place, the London airport transfer guide compares them by distance and typical timing, and the drop-off charges guide covers the per-airport fees that apply now.
Frequently asked questions
Q: When will Heathrow's third runway open? A: Not this decade. Heathrow is aiming to complete government approval by around 2029, with construction following and the runway operating in the first half of the 2030s. All four current terminals remain open throughout.
Q: When does Gatwick's second runway open? A: The northern runway project is on course for routine use from 2030, following consent in September 2025 and the failure of a Court of Appeal challenge in August 2026. It would allow around 100,000 extra flights a year.
Q: Does airport expansion affect my transfer this year? A: Only indirectly. Terminals and rail links operate normally, but construction and preparatory works can change road layouts around the airport perimeter, which makes transfer journey times less predictable. Allowing extra time is sensible.
Q: Will expansion make flights cheaper? A: The argument made for expansion is that more capacity means more routes and competitive fares in the long run. In the near term, the measurable effect is small increases in airport charges to recover early expansion costs.
Q: Will roads to Heathrow get better? A: Surface access improvements are considered essential to expansion, with estimates running to £10–15 billion, but they are tied to the same long timeline as the runway itself rather than arriving first.
Flying before any of this lands? Get an estimated fare for your airport transfer and give us your flight number so the pickup tracks your actual arrival.