Bosses at Norwich International Airport are backing a call to give regional airports a lift to cope with rising passenger numbers instead of a narrow focus on a third runway at Heathrow.
Birmingham Airport chief executive Paul Kehoe has challenged existing aviation policy in a "Don't Put Your Eggs in One Basket" report which calls on the government must to utilise existing airport infrastructure and pursue a balanced aviation strategy. The report warned existing policies are failing to adapt to the challenges of aviation in the 21st century, as a third runway at Heathrow will only meet 7pc of the additional passenger capacity needs by 2050, while the six largest regional airports could add 116m of passenger capacity to the network by 2050. And his suggestion that support for regional airports would provide a more balanced solution to cope with rising passenger numbers has been given the thumbs-up at Norwich International. Phil Gadd, right, property and contracts director at Norwich International Airport, welcomed the report, adding that Norwich, which this year began three direct daily services to Manchester, the biggest regional airport outside of the South East, would be well-placed to take advantage of such a shift, while its existing links to Amsterdam already provided it with a link to a major international hub beyond the UK. "We would welcome the government's backing to develop the regionals in that hub role," Mr Gadd said. "We see Norwich as being a link into hubs as far as international flights are concerned," he added. "It's being somewhat overlooked by central government in terms of strategy, which is building upon existing airports in the South East, but we can see the opportunities to capitalise on the capacity that's here. If you put the regionals together, you really start to lesson the argument for further South East expansion. "The fact that we have got three flights a day servicing Manchester means we can already service a lot of demand for overseas flights from there. Amsterdam isn't a UK hub, but in terms of flying times we have got to be as close as anyone." Mr Kehoe, said: "We have a government which is set on rebalancing the economy, and we have fantastic airports around the country with the spare capacity to deliver this growth. It is illogical that we are still trying to channel all traffic through the South East, which will only serve to reinforce the imbalance within the economy." What do you think? Write to Evening News letters, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, NR1 1RE or email [email protected]
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