Heathrow and regional airports support expansion, but no third runway is operating

Heathrow announced on 23 October 2026 that it had reached a memorandum of understanding with the Regional and Business Airports Group, or RABA. The group represents nearly forty smaller regional and business airports across the United Kingdom. The agreement expresses support for the airport's expansion ambitions and stronger links between the London hub and UK regions.

Heathrow cited interest from airports in several parts of the country, including Belfast, Newcastle, Inverness and Newquay. The memorandum concerns cooperation and the case for a future third runway. It does not mean that a new runway is operational, that new domestic flights have been scheduled, or that the project has completed all planning and approval requirements.

The airport says nearly five million passengers used its thirteen domestic routes in 2025 and estimates that these connections supported about £1.2 billion in gross UK tourism spending. These are figures presented by Heathrow as part of its argument for more capacity. The operator says constrained slots create pressure on the balance between domestic and international routes.

For passengers, the announcement has no immediate effect on existing bookings, flight status or transfer rules. Any future increase in domestic services would require further infrastructure, airline decisions and published schedules. Anyone travelling through Heathrow should rely on current airline and airport information rather than treating political or commercial backing for expansion as an operational change.