Expanding an airport without a clear plan for surface access will deliver only half the solution, a report out today claims.
A stronger focus on the surface transport implications of airport expansion, whether at Heathrow or Gatwick, is needed, the Airports Commission has been told.
The message comes from a study by the Independent Transport Commission think tank.
It warns that an opportunity may have been lost to plan the UK’s two biggest transport proposals – the HS2 high speed line (pictured) and airport expansion – in the joined-up way that other countries have adopted, to maximise the benefits from both.
HS2 could create a new “airport corridor” between the South, Midlands and the North, creating new commercial and competitive opportunities for airlines, the ITC argues.
The ITC’s aviation working group chairman, Stephen Hickey, said: “Expanding an airport without an adequate surface transport strategy would deliver only half the solution. But the surface connectivity issues have been largely absent from public debate.
“The report comes at an important time for the Airports Commission, who will decide on their final recommendations in the next few months.
“It is essential that, whichever airport they recommend for expansion, they don’t look at aviation in isolation.
“Passengers start and end every journey on surface transport, so this also needs to be fit-for-purpose.
“But the population is rising anyway, and there also needs to be a switch to public transport, so it is vital to ensure the cumulative demands on the surface systems can be met and that passengers can move easily and seamlessly between their surface journeys and their flights.
“Improving global and domestic connectivity must go hand-in-hand.”