Heathrow Airport have been given the thumbs up to develop a third runway which will help tackle the lack of capacity the UK has in terms of aviation. The expansion will increase take-offs and landings each year from 480,000 to 740,000 by 2026 whilst creating new jobs and greater economic growth to the UK as a whole as it connects the UK to the rest of the world with an additional 16m long-haul seats available by 2040.

The Government announce is, for obvious reasons, taking the headlines – but for other areas of the UK the announcement highlighted another key commitment. Following the announcement the Government also reiterated their commitment to regional airports.

A document published by the Department for Transport says it wants to regional airports to ‘make the best use of their existing runways’ and that the Government is ‘supportive of airports beyond Heathrow making best use of their existing runways’.

One of those airports who could benefit from the Government support to regional airports would be East Midlands Airport – who are looking to double passenger numbers by 10m a year within 20 years or less. The ambitious target also includes a vision to triple freight shipments to one million tonnes a year within 10-20 years.

Karen Smart, Managing Director of the airport and invited speaker to our HS2 Economic Growth Conference, said: ”We welcome the Government’s commitment to unlock the potential of regional airports to make best use of existing capacity. It’s vital for the UK economy that there is support for airports like East Midlands that can deliver greater access to world markets. As the region’s global gateway, East Midlands Airport plays a crucial role in getting people and products to overseas markets. As the country’s busiest airport for dedicated cargo traffic, it is already a key driver of the UK economy.”

She added: ”Further investment in the airport would help meet the demand for growing connectivity to global markets over the next decade at a time when other major airports will run out of capacity. This would benefit both the UK as a whole, and stimulate regional imports and exports and local business growth. The Government must now match its support for Heathrow with specific proposals to maximise EMA’s global connectivity in the period to 2030, including support for better rail connectivity serving East Midlands Parkway, and backing regional transit infrastructure to link the proposed HS2 Toton to the airport.”

One of the specific things highlighted by Karen Smart was the HS2 project which will help ‘maximise EMA’s global connectivity’. She’s calling for support in providing better rail connectivity to East Midlands Parkway and strong regional transit infrastructure to link the proposed HS2 Toton Hub to the airport.

We’ll be focusing on the East Midlands during the HS2 Economic Growth Conference which will be a key event to collaborate as an industry to ensure the East Midlands Airport plans are realised. The conference will concentrate on opportunities to drive new commercial and industrial sites, build new homes and create new jobs, whilst ensuring we have the skilled workers within the region to both deliver the growth opportunities and help to realise the potential of the region.

Join us at the HS2 Economic Growth Conference on the 7th November in Birmingham!