Heathrow says a third runway would support at least 50,000 local jobs by 2055, as it announces new work experience and careers initiatives.
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has announced that its expansion plans are expected to unlock at least 50,000 jobs in the communities around the airport, alongside a new programme of activity intended to prepare the next generation for the opportunities a third runway would bring.
Heathrow, the UK’s only hub airport, expects a third runway to support at least 50,000 jobs in the local area by 2055. This includes 33,000 jobs in Heathrow’s nine local boroughs, in addition to at least 17,500 jobs during the peak of construction.
Work experience and careers events for local people
During construction, new local jobs will be unlocked in engineering, digital, logistics, airport operations, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery, and construction. Apprenticeships will also play a significant role, with Heathrow delivering 5,000 youth apprenticeships, traineeships and other pathways for young people.
The airport said the programme responds to the challenge highlighted by Alan Milburn, who is leading the Government’s independent review into young people and work. Milburn has said young people lack meaningful exposure and access to the workplace and to employers who open doors for them.
Within the next year, Heathrow will launch a refreshed in-person work experience programme for local students, to be scaled up year on year and adapted in line with participant feedback and evolve to meet new challenges in the job market. In March 2027, during National Careers Week, it will also launch a new annual careers event for job seekers in the local community, bringing together employers across the airport to showcase the full breadth of careers linked to Heathrow.
Becky Coffin, Director of Communities and Residential Property at Heathrow, said: “We see first-hand how much of a difference a career makes to someone’s life, and we are serious about our responsibility to connect local people to the opportunities at Heathrow. At least 50,000 local jobs being unlocked is just one of the reasons why local polling shows clear support for expansion. Getting onto the career ladder begins in primary school classrooms and needs constant momentum. That’s why we’re expanding our work to get more children and young people in our local area to see first-hand what a skilled airport career can look like, and helping give them the tools they need to thrive. Expansion is a unique opportunity to give the next generation more choice on that first job through access to the good-quality high-paying jobs that infrastructure brings.”
Skills council and supply chain support
The announcements come as Heathrow launches its Economic Development Framework, a roadmap for how expansion will deliver growth locally and nationwide. The airport also chaired the inaugural meeting of the Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, which brings together unions, colleges and training partners to equip the generation that will build the third runway.
Heathrow will also play a key role in the new West London Construction Training Excellence Centre, one of 10 new CTECs being established nationally by the Department for Education to build a construction skills base for the country.
Lord Blunkett, co-chair of the Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, said: “It is time to lift our eyes to the horizon. To see the potential of expansion, and investment in the big infrastructure programmes of the future, and to put in place the pipeline of education and skills required to meet the challenge. In this way, we can ensure that Britain retains its premier status in the global economy whilst offering innumerable opportunities for both entry level and highly skilled jobs, which we can plan for now. This is true, not just for the wide geographic area of the main economic development, but for the country as a whole who will clearly benefit from the supply-chain opportunities and the materials required for a project of this kind.”
Heathrow said expansion will also create opportunities for businesses close to the airport, and an expanded SME Academy will help more small businesses benefit from the billions of private investment the project will unlock.
Paul Cole, Founder of InventRite, said: “One of the biggest hurdles you have as a small business is entering a large supply chain. But Heathrow is willing to help small companies through its Lift Off programme, where you pitch your products directly to Heathrow’s directors and their Tier 1 suppliers, and you might get the chance to enter the supply chain. That’s how we met Ferrovial Construction, and Heathrow supported us the whole way through, right down to making sure the Tier 1 could pay us in advance. If it wasn’t for the Lift Off programme, this product wouldn’t have got off the ground.”
The 33,000 figure refers to jobs expected to be located within Heathrow’s Core Study Area, which comprises Hillingdon, Hounslow, Ealing, Spelthorne, Slough, Runnymede, Windsor and Maidenhead, Buckinghamshire and Elmbridge. Heathrow’s next Business Summit will be hosted at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Wednesday 25 November.
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