Ed Thomas, UK head of transport at KPMG, comments on approval by ministers on third runway at Heathrow Airport. He said:
“Today’s decision marks a pivotal moment for UK aviation. Now, more than ever, UK plc needs to demonstrate both its ability and willingness to connect to trading partners and investors in the rest of the world.
This positive commitment to vital UK aviation infrastructure will send a strong message that we are open for business.
“The debate about new runways in the UK should never have been framed purely in terms of where to lay 3000 metres of concrete and tarmac.
More fundamentally it is a debate about how we secure our future economic prosperity. Within a decade, over half of global growth will be driven by emerging economies, and the UK needs to make sure we are connected to that growth engine.
How do we do that if London’s airports are full?
“Currently London is not directly connected to 128 of the biggest cities in the world and without additional capacity, this will deteriorate over time.
It is forecast that by 2030, we will lack connections to 194 of the 309 cities that have populations of over two million.
Of these 194 cities 16 will be in China and 15 in India, both leading emerging markets, which will power global growth. Our competitors already have connections to 41 of these cities.”
