Heathrow Announcement is Good News for York
July 2, 2015
Yesterday’s recommendation that Heathrow is the ‘clear and unanimous choice’ for airport expansion should be welcomed says Julian.
York residents are currently only able to fly intermittently to Heathrow via Leeds-Bradford. However, as the number of people expected to fly from Yorkshire to London is set to double over the next five years, Leeds Bradford airport will benefit from greater capacity and added destinations proposed for Heathrow.
Speaking in yesterday’s debate on the Davies Commission, Julian asked the Transport Secretary, Patrick Mcloughlin, “I hope that my right hon. Friend, who has been on his feet for nearly an hour and has listened to Members from right across the House, understands that London’s airport capacity not only affects the south-east but the rest of the country, so may I sing the praises of Leeds Bradford airport? A third runway at Heathrow would more than double demand for travel between Leeds and London in the next five years, boosting Yorkshire’s access to emerging markets, and we must not put that at risk.”
In response, the Transport Secretary assured Julian that this would be taken into account. Leeds-Bradford is one of the country’s fastest growing airports and passenger numbers are due to increase from 3.3 million today to over 7 million by 2030. Currently the airport can only be accessed by car or bus service, meaning many York residents opt to fly via Manchester airport instead. Research submitted to the Airport Commission predicts that a new runway at Heathrow could create more than 11,000 new jobs across Yorkshire and add over £9 billion to the county’s economy.
Following the debate, Julian commented “I am delighted that after three years of waiting we now have a clear mandate to expand Heathrow, which is without doubt the best option, both for the country and for York. Our historic city is already one of the most popular tourist hotspots in the country, and we could benefit from new jobs and business opportunities that will be created by Heathrow opening more routes between Leeds-Bradford and emerging growth markets across the globe.
“The Government needs to act quickly on the recommendation as every day we delay gives our international competitors a better chance of overtaking us as the world’s largest hub. We also need to greatly improve access to Leeds-Bradford Airport, and I will continue to make the case for a dedicated rail link between York and our county’s largest airport.”
