A vote by British MPs to approve a third runway at Heathrow closes the political discussion on the issue after decades of uncertainty, the airport’s CEO said on Tuesday.

A vote by British MPs to approve a third runway at Heathrow closes the political discussion on the issue after decades of uncertainty, the airport’s CEO said on Tuesday, even as it faces legal challenges.

Heathrow posted a record 38.1-million passengers in the first half of 2018 on Tuesday.

It has long sought to expand as it is capacity constrained at peak times.

In June, British legislators voted strongly in favour of building a new runway at Heathrow, Europe’s biggest airport, paving the way for the airport’s expansion about 70 years after the last full-length runway was built in the London area.

But a junior minister resigned over the plan and London mayor Sadiq Khan said he would bring legal action to block the expansion.

Asked whether the parliamentary vote was only a first step and further hurdles could follow, Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “No, I think this is it. There’s now an overwhelming consensus in parliament…. I think the politics is now through.”

He was not concerned by legal challenges, he said.

“You expect to have judicial review challenges with any big infrastructure project…. The challenge doesn’t stop the planning process, so we’re getting on with confidence.”

Environmentalists have voiced concerns about air quality in London and the impact on climate change.

Heathrow, which is also a major trading hub, has also come under pressure to keep the costs of expansion down.

Owned by Ferrovial, the Qatar Investment Authority, China Investment Corporation and others, Heathrow has said that construction could start in 2021, with the runway to be open in 2026.

Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019 and flights could be affected if no Brexit deal is agreed.

The airport had extended its bond maturity for two years to make its finances more resilient to any uncertainty, HollandKaye said, but he was confident aircraft would keep on flying.

Prospects for a deal had improved after British Prime Minister Theresa May reached agreement with senior ministers on how Britain should approach Brexit, Holland-Kaye said.

YOU EXPECT TO HAVE JUDICIAL REVIEW CHALLENGES WITH ANY BIG INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT