The UK’s major political parties should commit to carrying out the recommendations of the Airports Commission before the next general election, according to a new infrastructure report.
The commission, headed by Sir Howard Davies, is currently assessing how to increase the UK’s hub airport capacity but it is not due to publish its long-term recommendations until after the next general election in the summer of 2013.
A report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and business advisor KPMG said that politicians from the three major parties “must commit to a new solution” because resolving the airport issue was “essential” for the UK economy.
“Given the advisory nature of the commission, confidence will only be significantly driven forward if businesses believe the recommendations are likely to be put into action,” said the report.
“The commission was created to find a solution to a problem that has become deeply political, meaning a lasting solution must achieve political consensus.
“This makes it important that the three main parties commit to accepting the findings ahead of the publication of the final report by embedding this in their election manifestos.”
The survey by the CBI/KPMG found that 31 per cent of UK business leaders expected international flight connections to get worse in the next few years – this rose to 39 per cent of respondents based in London and 41 per cent in the south-east outside London.
Overall, 72 per cent of companies expect air connections in the UK to stay the same or deteriorate in the next five years. Meanwhile 53 per cent said they were not satisfied with the UK’s current connections to emerging markets.
Airports and other groups from across the UK have made their submissions of how to increase air capacity to the Airports Commission, which is due to bring out an interim report by the end of this year including a short list of the “most credible long -term options”.
Comments on the proposals can be sent by email to [email protected] with the deadline for comments of September 27.
For more details about the commission’s work and the full submissions, click here