Transforming Yorkshire strongly opposes plans for a third runway at Heathrow on the grounds that it could adversely affect the development of airports in Yorkshire and, in fact, could lead to a reduction in services to and from the region. We also believe that some of the vast sums earmarked for public transport improvements to support Heathrow’s expansion would be better spent in Yorkshire.
It is not entirely clear that there is insufficient airport capacity in the south east of England, especially when some of that demand originates here in Yorkshire. What is clear is that there is virtually no long-haul flight capacity originating from local airports. Surely the answer would be to invest in our region’s airports so that they could attract at least some share of long-haul traffic but instead investment once again goes south. This is yet another kick in the teeth for the Northern Powerhouse project.
Transforming Yorkshire will give due consideration to campaigning for a strategic international airport for the region.