Transport secretary Heidi Alexander promised “to remove the barriers holding back” aviation when she addressed industry leaders on Tuesday night.
Speaking at the AirportsUK annual dinner in London, Alexander suggested the government had done in eight months “what previously has taken years” in acting on aviation expansion, decarbonisation and airspace modernisation.
She hailed the past year as “remarkable”, with passenger numbers up 7% on 2023 and “the busiest year on record” at Manchester and Stansted, and said “everything points” to a record-breaking 2025.
Describing airports as “hubs for growth”, she argued: “Now more than ever, you need a government that recognises this. We see airports as a pillar of our Plan for Change. It’s why we’ve acted quickly, starting with expansion.”
The transport secretary said “long-ignored capacity issues meant some of our major airports are bursting at the seams”, yet described the industry as left “in a perpetual holding pattern” by previous governments, “with decisions circling around Whitehall for years, waiting for a clear signal”.
Alexander suggested: “Earlier this year, the Chancellor gave that signal by welcoming plans for a third runway at Heathrow.”
She explained: “My job has to be balancing the economic benefits of expansion with our social and environmental commitments. That underpinned my announcement a few weeks ago on Gatwick where I set a clear path for expansion if certain conditions are met.”
Alexander promised “an announcement on Luton [airport expansion] very shortly” and insisted: “I will never accept the false trade off that pits growing aviation against protecting our environment. We can do both.”
She argued: “Modernising our airspace will create more efficient flight paths and help meet our commitments to noise and emission reduction.
“The Chancellor has given the green light not just for a new UK Airspace Design Service but also to reviewing key processes behind modernising our airspace, and to an Airspace Design Support Fund to deliver faster progress.
“Alongside this, we must ramp up work on reducing emissions.
“Of course, sustainable aviation fuels will play a major role. It’s why we’ve signed the SAF Mandate into law, why we’ve launched a consultation into a price guarantee for UK SAF producers and investors, and why we’ve backed homegrown SAF projects to the tune of £63 million via the Advanced Fuel Fund.
“But SAF isn’t the only piece to this puzzle. Lighter wings and more efficient engines will play their part, as will new forms of zero-emission aircraft and supporting infrastructure.”
Alexander insisted: “These three areas – expansion, modernisation, decarbonisation – will secure this industry’s future. It’s why the government has wasted little time in consulting on reforms, getting legislation on the books, making decisions on expansion and growth, doing in eight months what previously has taken years.”
She said: “Of course, challenges remain. But I promise I will be working with you to remove the barriers holding you back.”