The Heathrow expansion decision has made other UK airports antsy
The government giving Heathrow expansion the green light has sparked demands from other UK airports.
The likes of Gatwick, Birmingham and Stansted all have growth aspirations and have stressed the need for a new aviation policy that consults them so future decisions aren’t so drawn-out.
Ken O’Toole, chief executive of Manchester Airport, noted that airports across the UK have "a critical role in the future prosperity of both the regions they serve and the country as a whole". He said there was an “opportunity to develop a new aviation policy that seeks to maximise the contribution all airports can make to improving our global connectivity”.
Read more: Gatwick boss: Heathrow isn't the right answer for Britain
O'Toole added that lessons must be learned from the “incredibly protracted” Airports Commission process.
London Stansted’s chief executive Andrew Cowan shared a similar sentiment, saying the government must now commit to developing a new aviation policy.
“We urge them to work closely with us to make the most of the opportunities that already exist at Stansted by investing in the rail access to the airport,” he said. “In addition, by relaxing current planning constraints, Stansted will be able to serve up to an extra 20m passengers from its single runway.”
At London Luton Airport, part of the concern is how long the new runway will take to become operational and how to meet growing demand in the meantime.
“Passenger numbers continue to be way ahead of forecasts and so there has to be a much higher utilisation of existing runway capacity at other airports,” said Nick Barton, Luton’s chief executive. “Rail links are currently the major limiting factor and must be improved to temper the capacity crunch in the short-term.”
Luton wants the government to improve rail access to Luton Airport Parkway station (Source: Luton Airport)
Luton has called for express train services from central London to the airport; it wants four fast trains per hour as part of the upcoming East Midlands rail refranchising process.
There had also been speculation Birmingham expansion might get a boost from transport secretary Chris Grayling, but he made no specific reference to the airport in his statement.
A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said: "The government has said that the answer to congestion at London’s airports is a new runway at Heathrow. It is also clear that connectivity for regions outside the south east is a key priority."
Read more: The best reactions from MPs to the government's Heathrow verdict
"We are now exploring the options for supporting growing demand and creating an integrated transport hub so we can play our full part in unlocking the potential of the Midlands Engine."
Birmingham City council leader John Clancy suggests building new terminal facilities integrated with the HS2 station due to arrive in 2026.
"If Birmingham Airport’s infrastructure allowed, it could be serving around 55 million passengers per year by 2050, providing an enormous boost to the economy, many times more than the £1.7bn a year it delivers today," he said. "This is an opportunity that our region cannot afford to turn down."