Bosses at Manchester Airport have welcomed the Government’s Decision to press ahead with a Heathrow Expansion but believe that they should now take the opportunity to expand the capacity in the North West
Earlier today, the Government announced that it had approved a third runway at Heathrow to expand UK airport capacity following a cabinet committee meeting.
Around 60% of all international business travel to and from the North of England already passes through Manchester and Ken O’Toole, CEO of Manchester Airport, said:
“Connecting the UK to the rest of the world is key to driving economic growth.
“Now that a decision has been taken on the location of a new runway, there is an opportunity to develop a new aviation policy that seeks to maximise the contribution all airports can make to improving our global connectivity. We welcome the Government’s commitment to doing just that.
“Airports up and down the country, including Manchester, have a critical role in the future prosperity of both the regions they serve and the country as a whole. For example, Manchester’s two existing full-length runways have the ability to handle up to 55m passengers per year – more than double current numbers.
“While a new runway at Heathrow will be good for the UK economy, analysis shows that growing Manchester Airport to 55m passengers per year would generate £75bn worth of economic benefit to the North West, six times more than a new runway at Heathrow would. Realising Manchester Airport’s full potential will be the thing that delivers most benefit to the Northern economy in years to come, through the employment, trade and investment that it will generate.
“So, an immediate priority for Government must be to work with airports to make the best possible use of existing capacity in the 10-15 years before a new runway can be delivered.
“That includes pressing ahead with initiatives that encourage the development of new routes from Manchester, such as the integration of road, rail and aviation policies and ensuring we have a tax regime that stimulates, rather than inhibits global connectivity.
“We must learn the lessons from the slow Airports Commission process, which has been incredibly protracted, and ensure the new aviation policy looks at what is best for the UK as a whole and enables all airports to compete successfully on the global stage.”
