Prime Minster David Cameron visits Birmingham Airport and the site of the runway extension

Birmingham Airport CEO Paul Kehoe, Prime Minister David Cameron, Nicky Morgan Economic Secretary

to the Treasury and Caroline Spelman MP for Meriden inspecting Birmingham Airport’s runway extension

- background shows engineering apprentices fitting the final lights on the runway extension

Prime Minister David Cameron has visited Birmingham Airport which is just weeks away

from the opening of its 400 metre runway extension, a development that is expected to

create 8,000 jobs in the Midlands by 2020 as the airport expands to cope with increased

demand for air travel from around the globe 

David Cameron said during the visit: "The announcement of 8,000 jobs from Birmingham

Airport is more great news in a week where we are cutting tax for 26 million hard-working

people and taking over 3 million people out of income tax altogether. These are two

significant announcements which will help give people financial security for the future"

  

 The Prime Minister welcomed the news after witnessing the final lights being fitted on

the runway extension by engineering apprentices, who have gained full-time employment

as a direct result of the infrastructure project

As a sign of confidence in the expanded airport, last month saw an announcement that

flights between Beijing and Birmingham, operated by China Southern Airlines, will begin

this summer. They will be the first direct charter flights from China to Britain and the

first ever direct flights from China to a British airport outside of London

  

The site of the runway extension, new parallel taxiway - in the foreground - with the
new ATC Tower and hangar for Monarch Aircraft Engineering in the background

 Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s CEO, added: "Receiving this endorsement from the

Prime Minister as our runway extension nears completion is fantastic for everyone

involved in the project.  Birmingham is recognised as an airport that is delivering

real growth and supporting thousands of new jobs

"The main driver for this growth is the runway extension. By 2020, based on today’s

demand, Birmingham Airport is forecast to handle 15 million passengers a year, an

increase of six million. This passenger growth will generate an additional 4,000 jobs

on-site and a further 4,000 in the immediate supply chain"

David Cameron talks to John Morris, Public Affairs Director of Birmingham Airport, Jerry Blackett, Chief Executive 

of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and John Hudson OBE, Chairman of Birmingham Airport

During the visit, Mr Cameron also met with local business leaders from across the

region, who welcome greater connectivity from their local airport. The longer runway

will allow aircraft to fly to destinations further away and support more direct long-haul

flights to emerging economies currently out of reach, such as Brazil and China

The runway expansion is just one part of a long-term investment programme, worth

over £300 million at Birmingham Airport. The earlier stages have already delivered a

new combined passenger terminal, a new maintenance hangar for Monarch Aircraft

Engineering and a new state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control tower

 

Thursday 3 April 2014