Airport enlists leading manufacturers for its long-haul network campaign
BIRMINGHAM Airport has mounted a hard-hitting campaign backed by leading manufacturers, aimed at persuading policy-makers that the UK needs a network of long-haul airports to cater for business demand across the whole of the country.
Supporting the campaign is a series of adverts which focus on the importance of Birmingham Airport for UK manufacturing. They feature high profile manufacturers from the region including William Wang, managing director of MG Motor UK, who asks: “The UK’s manufacturing base is not near Heathrow. So why do I have to fly from there?”
Another advert stresses that a third runway at Heathrow is not a long-term national aviation strategy and that the UK needs a network of long-haul airports across the country. It states: “A third runway won’t solve our aviation problems. Four airports will.”
The advertising has been run in response to the Airports Commission’s inquiry and is aimed at the Commission and policy-makers. The ad campaign will run up until July 19 – the deadline set by the Airports Commission for long-term proposals from airports and project sponsors.
Chief Executive of Birmingham Airport, Paul Kehoe, said: “These adverts make a serious point – our aviation sector is currently failing to adequately serve the majority of UK businesses that are located outside of the South East.
“We can talk about the importance of additional hub capacity in the South East for the UK economy until we are blue in the face, but unless we listen to businesses across the UK we are failing to meet the needs of our national economy.
“It is not just me saying this. These are serious business people who want to grow their businesses, create more jobs and contribute more to UK GDP. It is not good enough that our sector doesn’t serve these people and it is time for this to change.”
Backing the campaign, Mr Wang said: “The UK manufacturing base is outside of the South East and, as a result, it suffers from a lack of direct air links with crucial long-haul markets like China. A Birmingham to Shanghai route alone would enable hundreds of business flights a year to operate, boosting the growth of British manufacturing and encouraging inward investment.”
