The Government’s Airport Review requires a faster touchdown, West Midlands chairman of the Institute of Directors John Rider has warned.
It was unacceptable that the Commission assessing airport capacity, headed by Sir Howard Davies, would take three years to report, he charged.
Commenting on the announcement of the Commission’s terms of reference, he said: “The IOD is very disappointed at the excessive length of time this will take to reach a conclusion – the Government must look again at the timescale.
“The uncertainty already caused by years of delay on airport expansion is damaging enough without waiting even longer to make a decision.
“This has all the hallmarks of a controversial issue which has been consigned to the ‘too difficult to handle’ box. It appears to be a classic case of ‘kicking it into the long grass’.”
Mr Rider went on: “Business in the West Midlands remains solidly behind Birmingham Airport’s case for growth and improved utilisation.
“It seems that the Davies Commission will have solid conclusions based on extensive research ready well before 2015 – business needs to know what they are as soon as possible. Business needs certainty if the UK’s export aspirations are to be achieved. And we must remember that airports are not standalone installations – delaying this question for three years will have knock-on effects on surface infrastructure like rail connections.”
