The Government has been urged by an influential group of business leaders to take aviation more seriously demanding MPs recognise the economic benefits of flying.
The 74 bosses want the coalition to recognise the “economic benefits” of flying in its forthcoming aviation review. The chief executives, chairmen or senior executives from industry, finance and the service sector say Britain needs a “strategy for growth”.
They have signed a letter to The Times today raising the issue. Signatories include senior figures at Siemens, Lloyds Banking Group and PwC. The industry chiefs welcomed investment in London’s Crossrail and Birmingham’s New Street Station, but called for a plan “to secure the UK’s international connectivity”.
The letter says: “Our main airports – particularly in the South East – are blighted by overstretched infrastructure, where the slightest disruption results in thousands of passengers queuing in the terminal and dozens of aircraft circling overhead.”
Ministers are this week expected to announce a policy review following decisions to reject a third runway at Heathrow and to ban expansion at Stansted and Gatwick.
Business leaders want the review to address carbon reduction targets and local air pollution but, they add, “it cannot and must not ignore the economic benefits of flying”. “All options must be considered, short and long term, to address growing demand,” they said.
Andreas Goss, chief executive of Siemens, told the newspaper: “There is a fair chance that if Britain does not wake up and recognise that there needs to be a strategic decision in setting the stage for a new transport era, they will fall back.”