News

Business chiefs ramp up pressure to fast track Heathrow runway

Joint letter calls for Government backing for Airports Commission recommendation and early Parliamentary vote.

Over 50 business leaders including several from the infrastructure sector have sent a public letter to Ministers urging the Government to back the Airports Commission’s recommendation in favour of a new runway at Heathrow and hold an early Parliamentary vote by summer next year at the latest.



The letter was coordinated by the airport expansion campaign group Let Britain Fly and has been sent to the Prime Minister along with members of the new Cabinet Sub Committee on aviation. Signatories many from the FTSE 100 firms. 


“The new Government was elected upon a mandate to invest in national infrastructure. If the UK’s long-term economic plan is to remain credible then allowing investment into the construction of a new runway is essential."


The statement reads: 

“After nearly three years examining the evidence the view of the Airports Commission is unequivocal: Britain needs airport expansion and the best solution is to build a new runway at Heathrow.

“We back this recommendation and believe the Government must now provide a swift and positive response to the commission’s final report that sets out a clear timetable for an early Parliamentary vote to take place by summer 2016.



“With Heathrow already full for a decade and all of London’s other major airports likely to be full by the end of the next decade, the Government must now address the need for a new runway with urgency and give the green-light as soon as possible.



“Airport expansion is about more than where to build a new runway it is about securing long-term prosperity and creating jobs and growth for future generations. By value forty per cent of our exports go by air and we trade up to twenty times more with countries with which we have a direct air link.

“The Airports Commission has concluded that Heathrow expansion could deliver up to £147bn in economic benefit and 70,000 new jobs.

A new runway will also deliver significant connectivity and economic benefits to Northern Ireland, Scotland and the regions in northern England, ensuring key cities across the country such as Belfast, Glasgow and Newcastle have easy access to the capital and on to international markets beyond.



“Our competitors will not wait while we catch up. Amsterdam already has six runways, whilst Paris and Frankfurt each have four. Heathrow has only two runways. As a result Paris now has fifty per cent more flights to China, whilst earlier this year Dubai International overtook Heathrow as the world’s busiest international airport.

“So we are becoming less competitive as a global aviation hub at a time when our competitors have plans to build over fifty new runways globally.



“The new Government was elected upon a mandate to invest in national infrastructure. If the UK’s long-term economic plan is to remain credible then allowing investment into the construction of a new runway is essential.

“The business community stands ready to support the Government in getting the new runway built as quickly as possible and urges strong political leadership to ensure this is delivered.

After decades of inaction we must ensure airport expansion is the number one infrastructure priority of this Parliament. Let’s now work together and get it built.”



Signatories include: 



Adrian Shooter, Chairman, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership


Andrew Formica, Chief Executive, Henderson Global Investors


Basil Scarsella, Chief Executive Officer, UK Power Networks


Ben Rogers, Director, Centre for London


Bill Moore, Chief Executive, The Portman Estate


Chris Grigg, Chief Executive, British Land


Colin Stanbridge, Chief Executive, London Chamber of Commerce & Industry


Dale Keller, Chief Executive, BAR UK Limited


David Partridge, Managing Partner, Argent Services LLP


David Sleath, Chief Executive, SEGRO


Fredrik Widlund, Chief Executive Officer, CLS Holdings


Gavin Hayes, Director, Let Britain Fly


George Kessler, Joint Deputy Chairman, Kesslers International


George Weston, Chief Executive Officer, Associated British Foods


Gordon Clark, Head of Commercial UK and Ireland, Global Blue


Harold Paisner, Senior Partner emeritus, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP


Heather Lishman, Association Director, ABPCO


Hugh Bullock, Chairman, Gerald Eve LLP


Hugh Seaborn, Chief Executive, Cadogan


Iain Anderson, Director and Chief Corporate Counsel, Cicero Group


James Rook, Managing Director, Nimlok 


James Rowntree, Managing Director- Transportation (Europe), CH2M HILL


Jeffries Briginshaw, Chief Executive Officer, British American Business 


Jim McAuslan, General Secretary, BALPA


John Burns, Chief Executive, Derwent London 


Baroness Jo Valentine, Chief Executive, London First 


John Rhodes, Director, Quod


Kevin Murphy, Chairman, ExCeL London


Mark Bensted, Managing Director, POWERDAY


Mark Boleat, Chairman of Policy and Resources Committee, City of London Corporation


Mark Lancaster, Chief Executive Officer, SDL


Mark Reynolds, Chief Executive, Mace Group


Martin Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer, Aberdeen Asset Management 


Michael Hirst, Chairman, Business Visits and Events Partnership


Michael Spencer, Group CEO, ICAP


Michael Ward, Managing Director, Harrods


Mike Cherry, National Policy Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses


Sir Mike Rake, Chairman, BT (signed in a personal capacity)


Mike Turner, Chairman, Babcock International Group


Nicola Shaw, Chief Executive Officer, HS1


Paul Andrew Wait, Chief Executive Officer, GTMC


Paul Kelly, Managing Director, Selfridges


Prof Ian Reeves, Senior Partner, Synaps Partners LLP


Prof Paul Curran, Vice-Chancellor, City University London


Richard Dickinson, Chief Executive, New West End Company


Richard Foley, Senior Partner, Pinsent Masons LLP


Richard Howson, Chief Executive Officer, Carillion


Richard Robinson, Chief Executive (Civil Infrastructure, EMEAI), AECOM


Richard Simpson, Managing Director – Property, Unite Students


Rob Bould, Chief Executive, Bilfinger GVA


Robert M Noel, Chief Executive, Land Securities Group


Samir Brikho, Chief Executive, Amec Foster Wheeler


Lord Simon Wolfson, Chief Executive, Next


Sir George Iacobescu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Canary Wharf Group


Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive Officer, WPP


Sue Brown, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting


Surinder Arora, Founder & Chairman, Arora Group


Tim Hancock, Managing Director, Terence O’Rourke


Vincent Clancy, Chief Executive Officer, Turner & Townsend

If you would like to contact Jackie Whitelaw about this, or any other story, please email jackie.whitelaw@infrastructure-intelligence.com.

Comments

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