--- title: Heathrow Expansion Decision Risk Wrong Message on Britain description: This decision arrived at its destination after years of delays, and faces years of debate before the first spade digs into Heathrow’s turf canonical: https://time.com/4544082/heathrow-expansion-third-runway-brexit/ author: Dan Stewart article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-25T16:29:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:23.150Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Heathrow Expansion Decision Risk Wrong Message on Britain og:description: This decision arrived at its destination after years of delays, and faces years of debate before the first spade digs into Heathrow’s turf og:url: https://time.com/4544082/heathrow-expansion-third-runway-brexit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7f849e292b78115/6988ab7597cdff4e316ae4f2/heathrow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: APTOPIX Britain Heathrow og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Heathrow Expansion Decision Risk Wrong Message on Britain twitter:description: This decision arrived at its destination after years of delays, and faces years of debate before the first spade digs into Heathrow’s turf twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7f849e292b78115/6988ab7597cdff4e316ae4f2/heathrow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Heathrow Decision Is Supposed to Show Britain Is Open for Business. It Says the Opposite > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=1606be6c-61cb-4452-a596-772c9a9a12a9&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 430,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 50.7% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=1606be6c-61cb-4452-a596-772c9a9a12a9&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=1606be6c-61cb-4452-a596-772c9a9a12a9&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. It reaches 430,000 subscribers with a 50.7% open rate as of August 2026. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: UK Black Lives Matter Protestors Block Access To Heathrow Airport [Watch (HLS stream): UK Black Lives Matter Protestors Block Access To Heathrow Airport](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ePfRi0ah.m3u8) (0:35)  _Published 2016-08-05_  by [Dan Stewart](https://time.com/author/dan-stewart/)  ## Dan Stewart Oct 25, 2016 4:29 PM UTC  A plane approaches landing over the rooftops of nearby houses at Heathrow Airport in London, on Oct. 25, 2016. A plane approaches landing over the rooftops of nearby houses at Heathrow Airport in London, on Oct. 25, 2016. Frank Augstein—AP  by [Dan Stewart](https://time.com/author/dan-stewart/)  ## Dan Stewart Oct 25, 2016 4:29 PM UTC It was a decision over 50 years in the making. The British government [today gave its approval to the expansion of Heathrow Airport](http://time.com/4544090/heathrow-airport-expansion/), one of the world’s largest and long one of its most congested by air traffic. The construction of a third runway at the airport on London’s western flank is forecast to cost £18 billion ($22 billion), but analysts say it could [give the British economy a £147 billion boost](https://www.ft.com/content/a9882c88-9f60-11e5-8613-08e211ea5317). The main alternative plan under the government’s consideration had been to expand Gatwick Airport, a far smaller facility in London’s southwest, and one much further from the city’s center than Heathrow. That cheaper and less ambitious proposal would have mainly benefited the European tourists who currently fly into Gatwick, and not the airlines and other businesses who have been pleading with the government to expand the country’s main air hub for a generation. Heathrow airport’s runways [currently operate at 98% capacity](http://www.heathrow.com/noise/future-plans/third-runway-plans), which restricts air traffic and makes costly delays more likely. The Transport Department said the government’s approval “underlines its commitment to keeping the U.K. open for business now and in the future and as a hub for tourism and trade.” And on the face of it, this seems like just the message for Britain to be sending to international markets, as the country prepares to leave the European Union: Look how we’re still willing to listen to the business community, and make the big decisions to keep Britain booming. But this decision arrived at its destination after years and years of delays, and faces many more years of debate before the first spade digs into Heathrow’s turf—if it ever does. It may end up sending another kind of message altogether. The tale of British airport expansion is a [sorry saga](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33285659) of briefing papers, aviation studies and political inaction, all bound tightly in red tape. Enthusiasm began to build for a third runway at Heathrow in the 1990s, but new terminals were built or planned instead. The Labour government under Tony Blair argued there was a strong case for a third runway in 2003, and again in 2007\. David Cameron’s coalition government set up an Airports Commission in 2012 which recommended last year—again—that a third runway would be the best way to increase capacity. Today, finally, the government cleared it for takeoff. The saga isn’t over, however. [Now begins the daunting process of gaining approval](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/25/qa-airport-expansion-in-london-what-will-happen-next) —first, from the U.K. parliament, which will vote on expansion late next year or early 2018\. Why the wait? Because many in Westminster, including some in Prime Minister Theresa May’s own cabinet, are against the new runway. Some oppose it on environmental grounds, others on the impact more air traffic will have on local communities in southwest London and surrounding areas. The debate will be long, and fierce. If the proposal gets through parliament, the airport—owned by a consortium of investors from Spain, Qatar, China and Singapore, among others—must get planning permission from the regional authority and the communities minister, conducting health, environmental, and technical assessments that will hold construction up for at least another two years. Multiple legal challenges are also expected, from local municipalities worried about quality of life to environmental groups concerned about the increase in carbon emissions it will bring. Each will stymie progress at every step of the way. The most optimistic prediction for construction to begin is 2021\. Heathrow thinks the [runway will be complete by 2025](http://www.heathrow.com/noise/future-plans/third-runway-plans). Most experts think 2030 is more realistic. Some think it [may never be built](https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/transport/air-transport/news/79085/ex-transport-minister-heathrow-expansion-will-never), that the roadblocks in its way are insurmountable. The approval of Heathrow’s extension risks being not a symbol of Britain’s openness to global investment, but a reminder that the country is frequently hamstrung by turgid, centralized bureaucracy, deficient planning laws that act as a brake on growth, and a thornily complicated legal system that can bind up investors in court for decades. May could have sent the world a message that Britain was willing to act more quickly and fearlessly — perhaps, by fast-tracking a decision on Heathrow, instead of weighting an already drawn-out process with another year of parliamentary debate before putting it to a vote. The government risks looking docile, just when it needs to appear agile. If Britain is to have a successful Brexit, it must be willing to make tough decisions, not just big ones. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4544082/heathrow-expansion-third-runway-brexit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4544082/heathrow-expansion-third-runway-brexit/"},"headline":"The Heathrow Decision Is Supposed to Show Britain Is Open for Business. It Says the Opposite","datePublished":"2016-10-25T16:29:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:04:23.150Z","description":"This decision arrived at its destination after years of delays, and faces years of debate before the first spade digs into Heathrow’s turf","url":"https://time.com/4544082/heathrow-expansion-third-runway-brexit/","keywords":["United Kingdom"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7f849e292b78115/6988ab7597cdff4e316ae4f2/heathrow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Stewart","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-stewart/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7f849e292b78115/6988ab7597cdff4e316ae4f2/heathrow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"APTOPIX Britain Heathrow","caption":"APTOPIX Britain Heathrow","creditText":"Frank Augstein—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4544082/heathrow-expansion-third-runway-brexit/","name":"The Heathrow Decision Is Supposed to Show Britain Is Open for Business. It Says the Opposite"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"UK Black Lives Matter Protestors Block Access To Heathrow Airport","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ePfRi0ah/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-08-05T15:46:09.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ePfRi0ah.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4544082/heathrow-expansion-third-runway-brexit/","duration":"PT35S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4544082/heathrow-expansion-third-runway-brexit/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```