Shadow Transport team visits Stansted Airport to hear about growth plans and hopes of improved rail
Shadow Transport Secretary, Andy McDonald MP, and Shadow Aviation Minister, Karl Turner MP, visited Stansted, to see how the airport is planning to make best use of its existing runway capacity and improve the UK’s global connectivity over the next decade. The airport wants shorter journey times and better reliability on rail services between London Liverpool Street and Stansted, to get in more passengers – to make use of its huge amount of spare capacity. The two shadow ministers were told about Stansted’s new employment plans through its MAG Connect initiative, to help areas of high unemployment. Stansted management have high hopes for making the airport more profitable. Its CEO said: “Stansted can make a huge contribution to improving the UK’s connectivity with the rest of the world over the next decade, this will be vital as the country prepares to leave the EU and at a time when airport capacity is at a premium.” Karl Turner said: “The national conversation on aviation centres on the issue of building a third runway at Heathrow but we face capacity challenges here and now. More needs to be done to support connectivity into and out of our other international gateway airports across the UK to unlock existing unused capacity, and develop the huge potential they have.”
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Shadow Transport team visits Stansted Airport to hear about growth plans and transformation
16/11/2017 (Cambridge Network)
London Stansted yesterday welcomed the Shadow Transport Secretary, Andy McDonald MP, and Shadow Aviation Minister, Karl Turner MP, to see how the airport is planning to make best use of its existing runway capacity and improve the UK’s global connectivity over the next decade.
The Labour transport team was briefed on the strong case for cutting journey times and improving reliability on rail services between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport to help unlock the airport’s spare capacity.
They were also shown Stansted’s new employment plans through its MAG Connect initiative, designed to support the airport’s growth and create job opportunities in areas where there is higher unemployment. As part of this work Stansted runs job fairs on-airport, in Harlow and attends dozens of local job fairs in addition to launching a permanent presence in Tottenham Job Centre Plus.
Brad Miller, London Stansted’s Chief Operating Officer, speaking after the visit, said: “We were delighted the Shadow Transport team was able to join us at Stansted today and discuss our plans for growing passenger numbers, our £600 million investment programme to transform the airport and our ambitions for a more reliable and faster rail service.
“Stansted can make a huge contribution to improving the UK’s connectivity with the rest of the world over the next decade, this will be vital as the country prepares to leave the EU and at a time when airport capacity is at a premium.”
Shadow Transport Secretary, Andy McDonald MP, said:“Following the decision to leave the EU, supporting UK aviation has become more, not less critical if the UK is to remain a global, outward-looking trading nation. Improving surface access to and utilising capacity of airports like Stansted is an important part of delivering an aviation strategy that will support our economy.”
Shadow Aviation Minister, Karl Turner MP, said: “The national conversation on aviation centres on the issue of building a third runway at Heathrow but we face capacity challenges here and now. More needs to be done to support connectivity into and out of our other international gateway airports across the UK to unlock existing unused capacity, and develop the huge potential they have.”
London Stansted is London’s third-busiest airport, currently serving around 22 million passengers a year. The airport is ideally located in between the global tech and life science hubs of London and Cambridge.
https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/shadow-transport-team-visits-stansted-airport/
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