Heathrow expansion set to unlock at least 50,000 jobs locally

• Building a third runway at Heathrow, the UK’s only hub airport, is expected to support at least 50,000 jobs in the local area by 2055.  
• Expansion will unlock 33,000 jobs in Heathrow’s nine local boroughs, in addition to at least 17,500 jobs during the peak of construction.
• Heathrow to launch work experience programme for local students within the next year, as well as a new annual careers event for job seekers. 

Heathrow has announced that its expansion plans are expected to unlock at least 50,000 jobs in the communities around Heathrow. This comes alongside a new programme of activity to prepare the next generation for the opportunities expansion will bring.

During construction of a third runway, 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.

Alan Milburn, who is leading the Government’s independent review into young people and work, has made clear the challenge: young people are lacking meaningful exposure and access to the workplace and employers who open doors for them. Heathrow wants to meet this challenge. Within the next year, it will launch a refreshed in-person work experience programme for local students. The programme will be scaled up year on year, adapted in line with feedback from participants and evolve to meet new challenges in the job market.

In March 2027, during National Careers Week, Heathrow will also launch a new annual careers event for job seekers in the local community. The flagship event will bring together employers across the airport to showcase the full breadth of careers linked to Heathrow.

Heathrow will also play a key role in the new West London Construction Training Excellence Centre, with 10 new CTECs being established nationally by the Department for Education to build a construction skills base for the country.

The scale of expansion will also create valuable opportunities for businesses close to the airport and Heathrow wants to help more companies make the most of the supply chain opportunities. An expanded SME Academy will help more small businesses benefit from the billions of private investment the project will unlock.

The announcements come as Heathrow launches its Economic Development Framework, a roadmap for how Heathrow expansion will deliver growth locally and nationwide.

The airport also chaired the inaugural meeting of the Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, bringing together unions, colleges and training partners to best equip the generation that will build the third runway.

Becky Coffin, Director of Communities and Residential Property, 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.”

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.”

Saimmah Ali, Operations Manager, Shaw Trust, said: “Our Supported Internship Programme gives young people with special educational needs and disabilities their first meaningful step into the world of work, opening doors to opportunities they may never have otherwise experienced. For many, it is life-changing. These are talented young people who often have had limited exposure to different industries and career pathways. The more employers, like Heathrow, that come forward to offer placements and opportunities, the more young people we can support to develop their skills, build confidence, and secure sustainable paid employment.”

Paul Cole, Founder, 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.”

Liam Plumridge, Assistant Director for Enhanced Skills and Employability, Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge Colleges, said: “Our collaboration with Heathrow has had an enormous impact on our students, building their confidence and giving them a real focus on what they could do in the future. For our learners with special educational needs especially, these opportunities are rare. Heathrow’s investment of time and resources has opened doors to a supply chain our learners might otherwise never have experienced.”

Nikki Burns, Chair, Federation of Small Businesses (Thames Valley), said: “I’ve been part of the Heathrow Business Summit every year for nearly a decade now, and what stands out is that Heathrow listens. Each year it gets better at explaining the procurement process and how to engage. The effort that goes into opening that pathway up for small businesses to get into the supply chain is exceptional.”

Amar Nota, Chief Executive, Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce, said: “Expansion is a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity for businesses across the borough. For young people, it is work experience, apprenticeships and a start to their career. For smaller businesses, it is the chance to grow in a way they’ve never had before. It’s not just about making the airport bigger; it is about making the opportunities bigger and being ready to take them when they come.”