Representatives of UK business, workers and civic society sign joint public letter supporting Heathrow Expansion: January 2025
Letter published in the Sunday Times 26th January 2025, including signatories:
Dear Editor,
A third runway at Heathrow is the ambitious, bold action we welcome from Government to boost UK trade, improve living standards and accelerate the growth mission.
The future of Heathrow sits at the heart of the UK’s ability to compete and trade on the world stage. It is the biggest airport in Europe and the best-connected airport in the world. It is the UK’s hub airport and largest port by value - over £200bn of British trade flies from Heathrow’s two runways every year, more than twice all other UK airports combined. From Scottish salmon to Cornish cream to life-saving medicines, the UK’s small and large businesses depend on Heathrow to reach global marketplaces and grow.
But Heathrow is close to capacity and we risk taking that competitive advantage for the UK economy for granted. Any delay in its growth will damage the economic prospects for the whole UK.
Expansion at the UK’s only hub airport is one of the clearest signals that Government and our industry could send to the world that we are open for business again. It would give confidence to businesses across the country who are uncertain about how serious the Government really is about growth. It would trigger a renaissance across UK supply chains which have been undermined by the start-stop approach to major infrastructure projects over recent years. And it will signal to major international investors that the UK is a place where their money is welcome.
It can also be done responsibly. Heathrow's noise footprint is smaller than ever before and the area around the airport meets Government air pollution limits, even with more passengers than ever before. Heathrow has been in the vanguard of the global aviation sector in delivering a pathway to reach net zero by 2050 and its carbon targets are aligned with UK carbon budgets. The airport has always been clear that it will only expand in line with strict tests on carbon, noise and air quality. There does not need to be a choice between growth and the environment – it can and must deliver for both.
What’s more, it will create thousands of jobs and inject £billions of private money into the economy across the country. With the right approach, these benefits will start to flow within the current Parliament.
That’s why we, and all those we represent, support the Chancellor as a partner for growth this week by backing Heathrow to deliver expansion as quickly as possible. There isn’t a moment to lose in this mission.
Signed,
- Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
- Aberdeen Inspired
- ACS Clothing
- Adam Smith Institute
- Addison Lee
- AECOM
- AiQ Consulting
- Amalga
- APCOA
- Apsley House Capital
- Arup
- Association of International Retail
- AtkinsRealis
- Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce
- Back Heathrow
- Big Partnership
- Black Country Chamber of Commerce
- Bridewell
- British Airlines Pilots Association
- British Chambers of Commerce
- British International Freight Association
- British Ports Association
- British Steel
- Buckinghamshire New University
- BusinessLDN
- Centre for Policy Studies
- Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade
- Chisholm and Winch
- Community Union
- Compass Group UK
- Confederation of British Industry
- Connect Three
- Cornwall Camber of Commerce
- Cumbria Chamber of Commerce
- DC Thomson
- Devon Chamber of Commerce
- Doodle HR
- Dorset Chamber of Commerce
- Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce
- East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce
- East Midlands Chamber
- Federation of Small Business
- Fire Safe Global Ltd
- First Co
- Forth Ports Group
- Fortnum and Mason
- FSB Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- FSB Yorkshire, the Humber and the North East
- Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
- Gleed Limited
- GMB Union
- Goldstar
- Hampshire Chamber of Commerce
- Harrods
- Hereford and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce
- Hillingdon Chambers of Commerce
- Hospitality Ulster
- HRUC (Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges)
- Ibis Glasgow City Centre
- ICTS UK
- Inverness Chambers of Commerce
- Jacobs
- JCDecaux
- Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce
- Knightsbridge Partnership
- LogisticsUK
- London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- London Local Chambers of Commerce
- Make UK
- Manufacturing NI
- Merlin Entertainments
- Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce
- Mixed Freight Services
- Mott MacDonald
- New West End Company
- NI Chamber of Commerce
- North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce
- North East Chamber of Commerce
- Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce
- Novotel Glasgow
- Premier Packaging Solutions
- Pret
- Prosper
- Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce
- Retail NI
- Royal Holloway University of London
- Scottish Chambers
- Scottish Opera
- Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association
- Shropshire Chamber of Commerce
- Sixt
- South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce
- SSP
- Surrey Chambers of Commerce
- TaxPayers' Alliance
- Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce
- The Cotswold Distilling Company Ltd.
- The Restaurant Group
- TheCityUK
- Travelex
- Tregothnan Tea
- Trinity Pro
- UK Steel
- Urban Sketch
- Vanderlande
- Walpole
- We Know Group
- West London Business
- West London Chambers of Commerce
- West London Export Club
- Wilson James Limited
- Wirral Chamber of Commerce
- WSP
-
HRUC (Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges)
West London Export Club
West London Business
___
Joint Letter from Back Heathrow and the Unions: January 2021
During the pandemic, Back Heathrow and GMB, Usdaw and Community trade unions, joined forces to call for a 100% business rate waiver for Heathrow. To protect jobs at the airport during the downturn of travel due to the pandemic.
Download the pdf here.
Jet Zero consultation response: September 2021
When the government launched the Jet Zero aviation strategy in 2021, Back Heathrow was quick to make its voice heard on what we needed from the government to help decarbonise aviation.
You can read our response to the consultation here.