Manchester Airports Group (MAG) CEO Ken O’Toole has urged the government to “play to our strengths” to help “turbocharge” economic growth.
Coinciding with chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first speech at the Labour conference in Liverpool, O’Toole said the government’s new industrial strategy should include the aviation sector as “a critical enabler for growth” that should be “placed at the heart” of the UK’s economic blueprint.
In a comment article in The Times (£), he highlighted a WPI Economics forecast which predicted 10 emerging industries dependent on international connectivity would grow two percentage points faster (46%) than the average level of growth over the next 10 years, equating to £10.66 billion added to the economy.
O’Toole said: “If it is widely accepted that the government’s new industrial strategy should play to our strengths and harness the potential of exportable services, then its architects must also look at what those sectors need to grow.
“As an island trading nation, we are more reliant on our international air routes than other major economies and if we don’t – as a minimum – maintain current connectivity levels, that £10.6bn could be at risk.”
He added: “If our starting point is the sluggish economic performance we have seen in recent times, then we don’t just want to preserve the global access we already have but enhance it in order to turbo-charge growth.”
O’Toole also urged the government to adopt the right policy to “deliver the connectivity” globally ambitious firms “crave”, including producing enough sustainable aviation fuel in the UK, investing in high-speed rail connections between cities and airports and developing regional growth strategies.