Airbus chief: Starmer should press ahead with Heathrow third runway
The boss of Airbus has backed building Heathrow’s third runway, as the new government moots whether to put its weight behind the controversial proposals.
Heathrow’s chief executive warned last week the airport wouldn’t be able to meet rising demand for travel without expanding capacity. The UK’s busiest hub reported record traffic in the first half of 2024, as some 39.8m passengers passed through.
Labour has so far promoted a pro-building agenda and in a significant vote of confidence, signalled on Tuesday it was “open-minded” about airport expansion, so long as strict environmental criteria are met.
“Aviation is good for society. It contributes to peace, stability, and the prosperity we need to decarbonise. We welcome every initiative to support aviation,” Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury told the Sunday Times in an interview.
Heathrow’s long-delayed expansion plans have been deeply controversial for over two decades, with climate activists opposing the project at every turn. It has even drawn criticism from senior airline figures, with Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary telling CityAM in an interview the plans were “f***ng off the wall” as they involve tunnelling under one of the busiest sections of the M25.
Faury was speaking at last week’s Farnborough Airshow, fresh off the back of a number of new deals. He praised new Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “pragmatic, professional” and said recent talks were “very focused on security, connectivity, jobs, skills and innovation.”
The aviation executive, who has in the past been highly critical of Brexit, is also hoping Labour will create closer economic ties with European Union (EU) states.
“We’re a joint venture between European countries. We buy in the UK, we buy in the EU. We have parts and people going ‘here’ and ‘there’,” he said.
“We like the idea that Europe is one good place to do business — countries working together, creating scale by co-operation. If we have an opportunity to do more of this, that’s something we would support.”
Airbus currently employs around 12,000 people in the UK. An Oxford Economics report estimated the aircraft manufacturer’s contribution to UK GDP was around £5.6bn, as of 2022.