The rest of the world isn’t going to wait patiently for us to catch up, says Let Britain Fly

World airports plan for one billion more journeys a year – Let Britain Fly

World airports plan for one billion more journeys a year – Let Britain Fly

Emerging economies lead drive for airport expansion with the UK at risk of being left behind, shows analysis

Emerging economies dominate the list of countries with plans for airport expansion, reflecting a shift in the global economy that risks leaving the UK behind, according to a new analysis of the sector.

The analysis produced by KPMG on behalf of the Let Britain Fly campaign reveals the world’s major cities plan to have built over 50 new runways by 2036, with Asian economies chief amongst those that will provide the capacity for an extra one billion passenger journeys per year.

It compares projected runway and passenger numbers for airports around the world and illustrates the huge scale of infrastructure projects which will be undertaken over the next 20 years.

Nations leading the charge for global connectivity include:

–       China, which will have built 17 new runways to serve its major cities by 2036, with the capacity for 400 million passenger journeys;

–       Dubai, where the World Central Airport project will provide more passenger capacity than all of London’s airports combined;

–       A new six-runway airport in Istanbul which will have almost twice the passenger capacity of Heathrow;

–       Others leading the drive for extra air capacity include Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Mexico City and Mumbai.

The analysis contrasts this with the UK, which has not built a new full-length runway in the South East since the Second World War, and currently has no confirmed plans to increase its capacity. All of London’s main airports are predicted to be full by 2030.

The analysis also found that without expansion London could lose daily connections with up to twenty international cities that it would otherwise have had. These missed connections could result in less trade, tourism and investment with and from some of the fastest growing regions in the world, impacting on UK jobs and economic growth.

Gavin Hayes, Director of the Let Britain Fly campaign, which commissioned the independent analysis said: ‘This work reaffirms the need for additional runway capacity in the South East if Britain is to remain a serious contender on the world stage.

‘With all of London’s airports predicted to be at capacity by the end of the next decade, it is more important than ever that political action is taken to ensure we do not fall behind our international rivals.

‘The rest of the world isn’t going to wait patiently for us to catch up.’

James Stamp, Global Head of Aviation at KPMG, said: ‘The report shows that the debate about new runways in the UK is not just about where to lay 3000 metres of concrete, it is a debate that is fundamentally rooted in how we secure our future economic prosperity.

‘The emerging markets matter because within about a decade over half the growth in the world will come from these economies.

‘The report highlights that we need to make sure we are connected to that future growth, however, as things stand, Paris, for example, has 50% more flights to China than London.

Further delays means that London becomes less connected, and less competitive.’

Let Britain Fly is calling on politicians to publicly agree to be guided by the recommendations of the Airports Commission to ensure that London remains a global aviation hub and continues to provide connections to both new and established markets.

Editors Notes

–       For further comment please contact Gavin Hayes on 0207 665 1435 / 07900 195 591

–       Let Britain Fly is an independent campaign coalition which calls for cross-party political consensus on airport capacity expansion. Its founding statement has attracted support from more than 100 senior business leaders from Britain’s top companies, trade and professional associations, unions and educational institutions, along with organisations including the British Chambers of Commerce, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, London First, the Institute of Directors, the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Hospitality Association.

–       KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates from 22 offices across the UK with approximately 12,000 partners and staff.  The UK firm recorded a turnover of £1.9 billion in the year ended September 2014. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax, and Advisory services. It operates in 155 countries and has 162,000 professionals working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"), a Swiss entity.  Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.

–       The Airports Commission was set up in 2012 by the Government to examine the need for additional UK airport capacity. Its final recommendations are due to be published in summer 2015.

–       For a full pdf version of the infographic, please click here

–       For a pdf version of this press release please click here