CBI Calls for extra runway at city airport

An extra runway should be built at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, business leaders argued last night.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has advised the Government that the Speke site should expand to help industry.

Liverpool JLA handles large volumes of freight and is the main hub for Royal Mail services in the North of England.

The CBI’s recommendation comes in response to a consultation document on options for the future of air transport in the UK.

A final decision on national expansion will be made by the Government next year.

CBI director general Digby Jones said: “Expansion of airport capacity is crucial for the future success of the UK economy. We either respond to growing demand or face being left behind.”

Expansion at Newcastle and Bristol airports also formed part of the CBI’s recommendations.

But the call was last night rejected by Robin Tudor, business services manager at the Peel Holdings-owned Liverpool Airport.

He said: “We do not feel there is a need for a second runway. We have conducted detailed traffic forecasts and based upon our evidence, operating with one runway is not a constraint on our potential.

“The current use of one runway still gives us plenty of scope to aid local industry.”

One option in the original government consultation is to place constraints on the development of South East airport capacity with a view to distributing traffic more evenly around the country.

Under this plan, passenger traffic at Liverpool John Lennon Airport was expected to be between 5.4m to 5.8m passengers by 2015.

Responding to the Government consultation, Liverpool City Council said: “The limited economic opportunities available in the region, when compared to the South East, is a major cause of population decline. Diverting some future airport growth from the South East to the regions could help to address this economic imbalance and improve national competitiveness.”

Another option – to place constraints on Liverpool Airport to increase the focus on Manchester as a regional hub – received a far frostier reception.

While the city council supported the principle of Manchester becoming a major hub for air traffic, the implication that this would have to be achieved by placing constraints on Liverpool airport was “totally unacceptable”.

They added that healthy competition had resulted in a complementary role for the two airports.

Mr Tudor said: “We don’t want everything to be concentrated on the South East.”