Birmingham Airport runway event to take off at MIPIM

AN event highlighting the economic boost that the extension to Birmingham Airport’s runway will bring to the region will be centre stage at the MIPIM conference next week.

The runway at the airport is currently being extended by 400 metres to open up opportunities for more long haul direct destinations when it is completed early next year.

It is estimated that could bring a boost of around 4% to the West Midlands economy, partly through inward investment into the region as well as improving export potential.

How the region can maximise that benefit is the subject of ‘The Birmingham Airport: Landing Investment For The Region’ – a debate at MIPIM, the world’s largest commercial property show which takes place in France.

The event will feature contributions from Will Heynes (development director of Birmingham Airport), Martin Reeves (chief executive of Coventry City Council), Ian Taylor (commercial director of Marketing Birmingham) and Jonathan Garrett (director of CSR and sustainability at Jaguar Land Rover).

The runway extension is part of a £33minvestment plan which has also seen a new air traffic control tower built.

Heynes said: “International connectivity plays a vital role in facilitating employment and the economic success of a region. With major growth plans on the horizon for the region, never has it been more vital for business to be able to connect with key overseas markets.

“The runway extension will allow aircraft to fly an additional 2,000 nautical miles so that they can reach high value markets in China and the US. Once complete early next year, we will enable the Midlands region to connect with the world, help to attract new overseas investment opportunities and allow people to fly directly into the city that they’re doing business with.”

Reeves said the runway extension must be viewed as a regional asset to reach its full potential.

“There is no question that the airport is already a catalyst for inward investment and that will only grow as the extended runway comes into being and the air travel picture in the South East continues to be a matter of debate and delay,” he said.

“But it cannot be billed as a Field of Dreams – ‘build it and they will come’ – the region has to go out and promote its assets and potential to a wider audience.”