Public transport for travellers needs to be 'better' says Manchester Airport boss
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe says major infrastructure projects like Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will help Northern firms go global and boost productivity outside the capital.
Mr Woodroofe pointed to UK Trade Barometer data gathered by YouGov for Manchester Airport’s parent company MAG and the Growing Together Alliance of business groups. It shows 63% of London-based businesses that trade internationally increased global sales in Q2 of this year.
That this is in contrast to the North where only 57% reported an increase. In the capital, more than half of businesses (51%) expect to grow their order books in Q3 compared to just 22% in the North.
Mr Woodroofe said there is an opportunity for Government – through its new Industrial Strategy – to get more businesses trading internationally as a way of driving up productivity and growth outside of London. And he drew a connection between that and plans to revive NPR, which would unlock the full potential of Manchester Airport’s two runways, building on its own £1.3bn transformation, which is set to complete this year.
It is understood Government is gearing up to make an NPR announcement before Labour Party Conference.
He said: “It is no secret this government is on a growth mission. Recent GDP figures were cautiously welcomed by the Chancellor but paint a similar picture to the UK Trade Barometer – growth, but slightly slower growth than before. The conundrum is how to turbo-charge it.
“What we have now is clarity – in the form of the Modern Industrial Strategy, which picks out the sectors we have strengths in and that have the highest growth potential. The good news is that these industries don’t just exist in London. They are abundant across the North – from AI clusters in Liverpool to medical device specialists in Yorkshire and the “Atom Valley” in Greater Manchester.”
He said: “A new Liverpool-Manchester line that goes via Manchester Airport and on to Bradford, Leeds and beyond has the backing of public and private sector leaders across the North and we await announcements eagerly.”
Adding: “There are lots of reasons this scheme would be transformational, but chiefly it will radically improve how easy it is for people across the North to access their international gateway – Manchester Airport.”
Mr Woodroofe pointed out that at the moment that is limited by the lack of a high-speed rail line that connects towns and cities across the North.
He said: “When the time taken for surface journeys to airports is reduced, the airport’s catchment area increases. Put simply, more people live within an easy commute than did before – and that helps us attract new routes. Research conducted for us by Arup estimates up to another 50 long haul routes could be added to our departure board if NPR is delivered in full and the Northern economy fires on all cylinders.”
“To fire on all cylinders, it needs all the Industrial Strategy sectors to maximise their potential right here in the North, creating jobs and driving higher wages. So my vision for the North is a world in which there are no headlines speculating that an east-west high speed rail line is finally going to be delivered, because we already have it.”