THIS EVENING (Wednesday 11 March 2026), in remarks to 700 senior aviation leaders, politicians including the aviation minister, Keir Mather MP, officials, media and business leaders at the AirportsUK Annual Dinner, chair Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE paid tribute to airports, saying:
“They each create additional connectivity with global destinations that support employment and enterprise that radiates outward into surrounding towns and cities.
“And for many communities, especially those outside London, the airport is the single most significant economic anchor in the area.
“We…recognise the opportunities, and the challenges airport expansion brings.”
At the glittering event AirportsUK chief executive, Karen Dee, also said in her remarks:
“It is vitally important that we get [expansion] right, with the right fiscal, regulatory, planning, policy, and environmental frameworks.
“If we do not then airlines could well redeploy aircraft elsewhere, causing routes and connectivity to be lost while the economic opportunities shift to competitor nations.”
Dee cited recent work on the competitiveness of aviation, commissioned from WPI Strategy, that highlighted the size of the prize if government worked with the sector to increase competitiveness:
- Increased spending by foreign leisure travellers by £4.3bn and business travellers by £500m per annum
- Increased exports by £3.5bn and FDI by £1.4bn per annum
- Benefits to the hotel sector of £2.2bn and the food and drinks industry of £1.4bn per annum
She closed her remarks by issuing a rallying cry:
“We are calling on all those in the room to work with us, with airports to identify ways we can reduce these burdens.
“To reframe the question, so we do not just ask ‘what would it cost the Treasury’ but ‘what would it cost UK plc’.
“So that we can show the world that the United Kingdom remains open, connected and ready to lead.”
–ENDS–
