Express & Star comment: New plans for Birmingham Airport bring hope
Today’s announcement of new plans to improve Birmingham Airport will be music to the ears of many.
The airport has come on for a good deal of criticism in recent years – much of it well warranted – as a result of its less than inviting conditions.
It has also built up an unwanted reputation for delayed flights.
One unfortunate consequence is that plenty of people in the West Midlands would rather fly from Manchester or even one of the London airports, rather than risk having to bed down for the night on the departure lounge floor in Birmingham.
The over-riding view is that Birmingham Airport has never made the most of its central location.
Hopefully the new £500 million plan will change all of that.
The aim is that over the next 15 years, the airport will increase its number of passengers by 40 per cent.
A new baggage handling area will be created, road links will be improved and a new railway station will be built as part of the HS2 development.
However, there is one item missing from the plan that is likely to prove controversial – and that is namely a second runway.
For years campaigners – as well as MPs from the region – have pushed the case for a second runway, arguing that it would provide a major boost for the West Midlands.
However, the reality is that Birmingham Airport does not come close to making use of the capacity it already has.
According to bosses, the existing runway is capable of handling 30 million passengers a year.
The fact that it currently takes just 13 million really should render the case for another runway meaningless.
There is no doubt that Birmingham Airport faces a major challenge if it is to achieve its ambitious goal of becoming one of Europe’s leading regional airports.
It is refreshing to see that those in charge of this major project appear to be fully away of the scale of the task on their hands.
Improving the fortunes of Birmingham Airport will not be easy, but this plan appears to be a step in the right direction.
For the sake of long-suffering passengers, we are all hopeful it turns out to be a major success.
