Birmingham Airport most accessible in UK, research shows

NEW analysis shows that Birmingham Airport is the most accessible in Britain and has led to renewed calls for it to be used to alleviate pressure on overheated South East airports.

The analysis, conducted by Steer Davies Gleave and Capital Economics, looks at the catchment areas of the UK’s long-haul airports.

It concludes that Birmingham Airport currently serves the greatest number of passengers within two hours travel by road and rail at present and in the future, when High-Speed Two (HS2), is up and running, will serve the greatest number of passengers within a one hour journey of the airport.

The airport suggests these findings add weight to the argument that the existing structure of the UK’s aviation industry is not serving the needs of its passengers.

Birmingham Airport’s catchment area is the second-largest market for long-haul travel but residents currently have to travel to more distant airports to make these journeys.

The report was commissioned by Birmingham Airport to form part of its response to the Airports Commission. The Airports Commission has called for evidence on how to make the best use of existing capacity and the deadline for submissions is later this month.

Birmingham Airport chief executive Paul Kehoe said: “The analysis we commissioned shows that Birmingham Airport has a huge potential catchment today and will have the largest in the UK with HS2.

“This just highlights the extent to which our existing approach to aviation is imbalanced and is failing to serve the needs of passengers.

“The evidence shows that we have huge levels of demand for long-haul flights around the country – Birmingham Airport’s market for long-haul travel is second only to London – yet as an industry we insist on channelling people through the congested South East and making passengers and the environment pay the price.”
 

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