Valerie supports Birmingham Airport.

Valerie is calling for Birmingham Airport to be at the heart of a national network of long-haul airports after it was left out of the Airports Commission’s recent consultation on the future of air travel.

Valerie said:

“The Airports Commission’s consultation on future airport capacity has now closed but plans for a second runway at Birmingham Airport were not included. This decision was short-sighted. Airport capacity should be increased where it can provide a gateway to the research and manufacturing heartlands of the West Midlands, not in the already well served South East.”

“The Airports Commission has not properly taken into account the negative impact of a third runway at Heathrow on the West Midlands. The effect will be to focus growth on a single hub and draw business and tourism away from the West Midlands. A second runway at Birmingham Airport would have created 250,000 jobs in the West Midlands including in Walsall South. The Airports Commission must fully evaluate the economic and environmental impact of their decision on the West Midlands when they publish their final report in the summer.”

“Instead of an even greater focus on London and the South East, we need a national network of long-haul airports, linking businesses throughout the UK to emerging markets. Of the remaining proposals being considered by the Commission, only the construction of a second runway at Gatwick Airport would bring this opportunity.”

“The success of Birmingham Airport is critical for long-term economic growth in the West Midlands and beyond. The Airport’s location at the heart of the motorway and rail networks gives it enormous strategic significance. More than 35 million people live within 2 hour’s drive and it is linked by direct train services to more than 100 stations. When the new Birmingham Interchange Station links the Airport to HS2, Birmingham Airport will become the most accessible in the UK.”

Further information on the Airports Commission is available here.