The Business Travel Association has welcomed the approval of Gatwick’s second runway, saying it’s “good news for business travel and UK growth”.
But it said this was dependent on whether the expansion is delivered “sustainably and without cost to the public purse”.
“There appears to be uncertainty around how commitments on transport access will be enforced,” said BTA CEO Clive Wratten.
“What matters is that travellers are given reliable, practical options, not voluntary aspirations that may leave room for higher drop-off charges or parking fees under the guise of sustainability.”
He said business travellers need reliable, practical transport links.
“An increase in Gatwick Express services may suit some, but it does not help someone travelling from outside London for a 9am flight.
“Expansion must be about accessibility, choice and genuine sustainability in practice, not just principle. We urge Government and Gatwick to set binding, fair frameworks that protect travellers and businesses alike.”
The £2.2 billion plan has been given the go ahead by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and will allow the airport to increase the number of annual flights from the current 280,000 to around 389,000 by the late 2030s.
Paul Spencer, Managing Director, Focus Travel Partnership, called on the Government for more.
“Our transport policy, particularly post-Brexit, should focus more aggressively on the positive aspects of international air travel – and its impact to trade with the UK and to investment in the UK,” he said.
“Concerns about the environment, sustainability and even noise are being actively addressed by the sector with innovations in aircraft design, fuel and flight planning – and the thousands of British business clients our partners service are entirely supportive of such considerations.
“But with hundreds of years of international trading history, and a connected world that still values face-to-face interaction with British talent (and that AI won’t replace!) – and for those engineers, project managers, financiers, creatives and the many entrepreneurs that get on a plane at 6am to strike deals in boardrooms across every continent – Government policy mustn’t hold back from actively promoting airport expansion and development as a source of economic growth. And faster than is currently proposed.”
Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, welcomed “the strong recognition from Government of aviation’s unique role in delivering economic growth across the UK”.
“Airlines support affordable airport expansion and look forward to working with Ministers and Gatwick to ensure the project is delivered within budget and in line with the industry’s net zero commitments, principally through the scaling up of SAF supply coupled with a fully modernised UK airspace,” he said.
