Heathrow expansion timeline – when will third runway work start, what are the key dates and when will it be built?
FLIGHTS could be using Heathrow's third runway within a decade after the government backed expansion plans.
After MPs also voted to approve the £14billion project, here's the timeline leading up to the controversial decision and what happens next.
What are the key dates in the decision to build a third runway at Heathrow?
Rows over airport expansion in the South East has embroiled successive governments for more than 15 years.
December 2003 The Labour Government publishes plans for a third runway and sixth terminal to keep pace with other European hubs such as Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
August 2007 Protesters set up a Camp for Climate Action near the village of Sipson on the northern edge of Heathrow airport, which faces being demolished.
January 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown gives the go-ahead despite strong opposition from local residents, environmental groups, councils and his own backbenchers.
October 2009 Opposition leader David Cameron promises Heathrow expansion will not go ahead, telling a meeting in nearby Richmond: "No ifs, no buts".
May 2010 Labour loses the general election. The new Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government scraps the third runway proposal.
September 2012 Expansion is back on the table as an independent commission is set up by Whitehall to look at options including new runways at Heathrow and Gatwick and a whole new airport in the Thames Estuary.
July 2015 The long-awaited report by the Airports Commission recommends a new runway should be built at Heathrow.
June 2016 David Cameron resigns as PM after the Brexit referendum, leaving the decision on airport expansion to his successor Theresa May.
October 2016 Mrs May's Government pledges its support for Heathrow expansion, sparking the resignation of Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith.
February-May 2017 A public consultation on the impact of a third runway attracts 72,239 responses.
July 2017 Heathrow scraps plans for a new terminal to lower costs, opting instead to expand terminals 2 and 5.
March 2018 A cross-party group of MPs on the Transport Select Committee warns expansion should not be allowed without more safeguards on air pollution, noise, regional connections and passenger fees.
June 5, 2018 The revised project, now expected to cost investors £14billion, is given the go-ahead by the Cabinet with a promise taxpayers will not pay a penny.
June 21 Greg Hands quits as a minister so he can vote against the plans, heaping pressure on Boris Johnson who had vowed to "lie down in front of the bulldozers".
June 25 Johnson is abroad as the House of Commons votes by a majority of 296 to approve the government's National Policy Statement. Four London boroughs and Greenpeace launch a judicial review in a bid to block it.
What happens next and when does building work start at Heathrow?
Late 2018 Heathrow will prepare an application for development consent, which will have to comply with the government's rules and targets on pollution, connecting flights to UK regions, and compensation to locals.
2019 Heathrow says it will sign £150million in contracts with British businesses, creating 900 jobs and 200 apprenticeships.
2020 Heathrow will submit a final proposal to the Planning Inspectorate. After a public examination period, the Transport Secretary will make a decision whether to grant a Development Consent Order.
LATEST LONDON AIRPORT EXPANSION NEWS
2021 Main construction work is expected to begin on the third runway, according to the Airports Commission.
2025 Expected completion of the new runway including a new tunnel for the M25 motorway that will pass underneath.
2028 The airport's overall expansion is expected to be fully operational.