Plans to expand Heathrow Airport are forecast to support more than 108,000 jobs across every nation and region of the United Kingdom, the airport’s operator has announced, as a major government consultation on the project draws to a close and parliamentary scrutiny formally gets under way.

The job creation figures, released on 2 September 2026, cover a broad range of sectors including construction, engineering and apprenticeships aimed at young people. Heathrow says the entire expansion will be funded through private investment, with no direct cost to the taxpayer.

The announcement coincides with two significant milestones: the closure of the government’s consultation on the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement, and the opening evidence sessions of the Transport Select Committee’s inquiry into the project. Both mark a step forward in the long and frequently contested process of securing the political and regulatory approvals needed for a third runway at the west London airport.

A National Supply Chain Opportunity

Heathrow’s operator argues that the benefits of expansion would extend well beyond the airport’s immediate surroundings in Hounslow, Middlesex. The project is expected to generate demand across UK supply chains, with British steel manufacturers cited as one group that could play a role in building the new infrastructure. The airport has secured the backing of UK Steel and major trade unions including GMB, Unite and Community, which the company says reflects the breadth of industrial support for the scheme.

Heathrow is currently the United Kingdom’s only hub airport — one capable of offering passengers a wide range of onward connecting flights — and is also the country’s largest port by value of goods traded. The airport’s operator has long argued that operating at full capacity constrains the UK’s ability to compete internationally for trade, inward investment and tourism, and that without additional runway capacity, airlines and businesses have limited options to expand their routes and freight connections.

Heathrow’s chief executive Thomas Woldbye said the airport was ready to demonstrate that private capital could work alongside government ambitions.