Johnson says he still opposes Heathrow Airport expansion

Boris Johnson is on a mission to build more railways and roads in post-Brexit Britain. But there’s one massive infrastructure project he still hates: adding a third runway to London’s Heathrow airport.

On Tuesday, the prime minister noted that there’s no sign of imminent work starting on the expansion of Heathrow, which he has opposed since his time as mayor of London. Appearing in Parliament on Wednesday, he was asked if it’s time to ditch the plan and expand another airport elsewhere in the country.

Johnson replied that lawmakers have already approved outline planning permission for the project, which he conceded was “a measure that is supported by people across this chamber—not by me, as it happens.”

“I wait to see the outcome of the various legal processes that are currently under way to see whether the promoters of the third runway can satisfy their legal obligations under air quality and indeed noise pollution,” he added.

Heathrow’s 16 billion-pound ($20.8 billion) expansion plan was approved by the House of Commons in 2018, and last year overcame a challenge by environmental groups to block it. The airport said in December a decision on the project’s costs by the Civil Aviation Authority had delayed the timetable for the work, which is now expected to be completed by late 2029.