G7: UK spends £8m to lengthen Newquay runway for Biden’s Air Force One
The UK has reportedly spent over £7.8m to extend the runway at Newquay airport to allow US aircraft to land for the G7 summit.
The runway had to be extended to allow US President Joe Biden to land on Air Force One amid concerns about the existing infrastructure being able to handle the large aircraft, it has been reported.
The US President and the First Lady, Jill Biden, arrived at Cornwall Airport Newquay shortly before 11.45pm on Wednesday.
The news comes amid other reports of costs relating to the summit including the £70m cost of policing.
A total budget of £13m had been made available to ensure Air Force One could land at the Newquay strip, according to The Times.
The work was also needed to ensure that a US military transporter plane carrying a fleet of Osprey aircraft could touchdown safely.
The work is part of a number of measures that have been taken to ensure the security of world leaders who have been arriving in Cornwall this week to attend the G7 summit which starts today.
The meeting between the world’s seven largest so-called advanced economies will run until Sunday, covering a range of issues including Covid recovery, climate change and trade.