The case for UK airport expansion - the freight industry’s perspective

© Bojan Bokic

Most of the headlines around UK airport expansion have been dominated by the political battles about where new runways should be built and the impact this will have on the environment and local communities.

What gets lost in these arguments is the reasons for wanting to expand airport capacity in the first place, and especially from the freight industry’s perspective. The position put to the general public is that it is all about passenger numbers, boosting the domestic tourist industry and making it easier for us all to jet off on holiday.

But the future of UK commerce and industry as a whole has a huge stake in the development of a modern, efficient aviation infrastructure fit for purpose in the 21st Century. The movement of goods, both import and export, is vital to the economy. But with present airport capacity under severe pressure, the ability of the freight industry to provide those crucial trade links is hampered.