Expanding Heathrow 'the right choice for Britain', say airport chiefs

The bosses of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle and Liverpool airports have described the expansion of Heathrow as the “right choice” for Britain.

In a letter addressed to Sir Howard Davies, the head of the Airports Commission, the airport chiefs have argued that expanding the West London airport would be the best solution for the UK.

“The so-called London Airports debate is not about London at all,” the airport chiefs write in the letter. It is about the aviation industry as a whole.

“Heathrow’s role is as the UK’s hub, one of only six worldwide with more than 50 long-haul routes and expansion there would create over 200,000 more slots.

“For expansion to benefit the whole country there must be a mechanism in place to strengthen and secure domestic connections to the UK’s hub. We will be backing Heathrow expansion in the Airports Commission consultation as the right choice for the whole of the UK.”

In November, the commission, which will recommend whether to expand Heathrow or Gatwick, said that increasing the size of the former would have the greatest economic benefit for the UK and could deliver a boost of as much as £214bn.

Adding a second runway at Gatwick would instead generate a benefit between £42bn and £127bn, the commission added.