Air, Freight News

‘Split’ airport would be no solution, warns FTA

[ February 5, 2015   //   Chris ]

The Freight Transport Association has warned of the costs to the freight industry of trying to split air operations in the south-east between Heathrow and Gatwick.
Extra airport runway capacity in London and the south east of England is vital to the UK economy, said the Freight Transport Association in its response to the Airports Commission Consultation on 5 February. Director of global and European policy, Chris Welsh said there were potentially serious implications for air freight operations from any failure to expand capacity or in going for the wrong option.
FTA has commissioned York Aviation, with support from Transport for London, to consider the potential long- term effects on the UK economy, the air freight industry and freight customers in the UK arising from the runway capacity options identified by the Airports Commission.
This backs up FTA’s own analysis that split operations between Heathrow and Gatwick would lead to higher costs due to additional trucking and duplication of operations, increased transit times and delays.
The report said that if no additional airport hub capacity is provided in London, additional trucking costs are estimated to be around £41.5 million a year by 2050.
Earlier responses to the Airports Commission by FTA have primarily focused on the wider economic impacts on shippers of a failure to invest in additional airport hub capacity. FTA published ‘Sky High Value, the importance of air freight to the UK economy’ as an integral part of its response to the Airports Commission Interim Report published in 2013.

Tags: FTA