Manchester Airport 2050
The new report reveals what the full economic potential of the Airport would be if the right conditions were in place to unlock “transformational growth” across the North. Produced by Arup, it states that between now and 2050, the Northern gateway could secure direct flights to 50 new world-leading cities including Sydney, Tokyo, Montreal, Mumbai, Riyadh, San Francisco and Cape Town, driving passenger volumes to as high as 60m a year.
Those links would drive significant increases in exports, inward investment, tourism and cultural exchange for the North, growing Manchester Airport’s annual economic impact on the North to £16.3bn and leading to support for more than 80,000 more jobs. The report spells out the opportunity for Ministers to create a “supportive policy environment” that enables both the Airport, and the Northern economy as a whole, to flourish.
The centrepiece of that would be the delivery of a high-speed rail network that transforms journey times between the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool and Bradford and the airport. That would build on MAG’s own £1.3bn investment in the transformation of its facilities, which is helping unlock the potential of its existing two runways.
Alongside measures like investing in local transport schemes, funding and policy support for aviation sustainability and the right national tourism strategy, that would create a transformational growth scenario that by 2050 would also lead to:
- Gross value added (GVA) impact from the airport in the North tripling from £5.7bn to £16.3bn
- Potential for more than 50 new long-haul routes
- Around 25 new short-haul routes
- Employment for over 165,000 people compared to 80,000 people today. That is equivalent to the population of Harrogate
- More than 260,000 businesses would be within 90 minutes of the airport – compared to 70,000 today
- Potential for the airport to serve up to 60m passengers each year compared to 27m today
- The creation of 6,500 jobs and £930m of economic value through the creation of a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) pipeline and production capability that serves Manchester Airport and the UK as a whole
Ken O’Toole, Manchester Airport CEO commented; ‘Manchester Airport is well-established as the UK’s global gateway in the North, connecting the region to an ever-increasing range of destinations such as Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York, Houston, Toronto and across the Middle East. We know this connectivity delivers billions of pounds of economic value to the North by driving trade, investment and tourism and, spurred by our own £1.3bn investment in new terminal facilities and infrastructure the Airport, we will continue to grow and support growth across the region in the years to come.
A key question for the next UK government is how to not only maximise the potential of Manchester Airport, but also ensure all parts of the North benefit to the fullest extent possible. Any government serious about rebalancing the country would want all major cities and towns to have fast and easy rail access to the world through their nearest international gateway – and here in the North that is Manchester Airport. That is why it is critical plans for a new east-west high-speed network, with the Airport at its heart, are delivered as soon as possible.
This report spells out the size of the prize and we look forward to work with business and political partners in the North, as well as whoever goes on to lead the country, to ensure that vision becomes a reality.’