FlyPlymouth welcomes Heathrow runway announcement Commences campaign to secure access for Plymouth

Tuesday 25th October 2016

FlyPlymouth today welcomed the Government's decision to approve the building of a new runway at London's Heathrow Airport.  It also said it was galvanised to start commencing work to ensure that a re-opened Plymouth Airport would get to share in the benefits of new runway capacity at Heathrow.

"Both the Transport Secretary and the Prime Minister have stated that this decision is the best for the whole of the UK and will improve links for regional airports," commented FlyPlymouth Chief Executive Raoul Witherall.  "This is very good news for Plymouth's future connectivity and is to be warmly welcomed. The rationale for safeguarding and re-opening Plymouth's city airport has become stronger as a result of today's announcement."

Plymouth lost its air link with London Heathrow in 1998 when British Airways transferred its Plymouth services to Gatwick.   Some 14 major employers closed down their operations locally in the years that followed.   The subsequent loss of Gatwick routes led to the disposal of Air Southwest and the closure of Plymouth Airport in 2011.

"There is a good way to go still, but we now have a clear line of sight to how Plymouth can realistically reconnect with a major London hub. While the new runway is not expected to be in service until 2025, this falls within the life of the forthcoming Plymouth Plan, so is relevant to present considerations,"  Raoul Witherall added.

FlyPlymouth's plans to acquire and reopen Plymouth Airport have been formulated without assuming access to a new runway at Heathrow. However, access to Heathrow would be transformative, not just for the city of Plymouth, but also for the commercial potential of Plymouth Airport.

Heathrow Airport and the independent research project from the National Connectivity Task Force both highlighted Plymouth in particular as an example of the airports that should benefit from a new runway at Heathrow.   This view was echoed by the Davies Commission and the British Infrastructure Group.   So, today, FlyPlymouth begins a 10-year lobbying project to ensure that these promises are delivered on and Plymouth gets a share of new runway capacity at Heathrow.

Further information on FlyPlymouth's funding campaign, the present stage in the Plymouth airport process can be found together with FlyPlymouth's plans for a reopened Plymouth Airport at the company's newly revised website: www.flyplymouth.com