Responding to the announcement made today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he is to set up a National Infrastructure Commission to be led by Lord Adonis, Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Airport Operators Association (AOA), the trade body representing over 50 UK airports, said:
“We welcome the acknowledgement made this morning by the Chancellor that additional runway capacity will be required if the UK is to prosper in future decades, and his confirmation that the Government will make a decision on expansion by Christmas. This decision has been ducked under successive Governments for many years and it is clear the UK faces a capacity crisis unless action is taken, both with respect to building a new runway and making better use of the capacity that we already have. It has now been several months since the Airports Commission published its Final Report and we need Ministers to respond quickly to maintain momentum, remove uncertainty and ensure the UK gets the additional capacity it so vitally needs as soon as possible.
“Under the new National Infrastructure Commission, we also need a recognition that the UK requires excellent aviation connectivity right across the country, ensuring the UK has both vibrant point to point airports and world class hub capacity, with a sustainable planning regime which allows all airports that wish to grow the opportunity to do so, and which makes best use of existing capacity at all of the UK’s airports.”
