Number 10 launches aviation charm offensive after Burnham third runway remarks

Downing Street has been quietly working to maintain positive relations with the aviation sector following remarks made by former Labour mayor Andy Burnham about the Heathrow third runway expansion. Despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer's reluctance to endorse the megaproject, Number 10 has been reassuring key industry figures of their support, according to multiple sources.

Government advisers have assured the aviation sector that Burnham's comments were not indicative of a change in government policy, and that Starmer had not been fully briefed on the project's economic merits. Sources suggest that Burnham's remarks were not helpful at the time, but that industry executives have since received clarification from Number 10 and internal advisers.

The expansion of Heathrow Airport has been a contentious issue, with many supporters initially encouraged by the change in Prime Minister, following Burnham's handing of aviation minister Keir Mather a brief that included oversight of the Heathrow expansion. However, Burnham's comments threw their confidence in the project into disarray, particularly after he stated that the expansion was "a matter for London and Londoners" in an interview before Labour's conference.

Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) is expected to submit a proposal alongside Heathrow West, a rival bid being spearheaded by hotel tycoon Surinder Arora, if the expansion is approved. The project has already faced its first major setback, with HAL conceding that it is unlikely to hit its initial 2035 target for the first flights to take off from the strip. Instead, the expansion is now expected to be delivered by 2039, assuming the planning process remains on track.