Manchester Airport calls on Government to prove Northern Powerhouse commitment

“The time is now” for the Government to prove its commitment to the Northern Powerhouse vision, according to Manchester Airport boss Ken O’Toole.

Speaking this morning (February 21) at the UK Northern Powerhouse Conference in Manchester, the airport chief executive said leaders from across the North’s public and private sectors had effectively maintained the momentum of the Northern Powerhouse project over the last year.

During the conference’s opening speech, Mr O’Toole unveiled the next phase of Manchester Airport’s £1bn Transformation Programme – currently the North’s biggest private sector investment.

He said the airport is driving the development forward in recognition of the strength of the North’s economy and the potential, over the coming years, for hundreds of thousands of jobs to be created.

While a clear case has been made for investment in infrastructure projects such as HS3, the airport boss urged ministers to make a clear commitment to the scheme.

Doing so, he believes, would demonstrate that the Government is serious about creating a thriving, globally competitive Northern Powerhouse.

He told the audience: “If the Northern Powerhouse is to be truly competitive on the global stage, it should be as easy as possible to travel from Hull to Hong Kong; Liverpool to Los Angeles and Sheffield to Singapore.

“Slashing journey times through investment in [HS3] could lead to the North securing direct flights to 20-30 key global markets, with millions more people in easy reach of Manchester Airport.”

He continued: “It is connectivity like that that will maximize growth in sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing, technology and energy. It is connectivity like that that is key to delivering an Industrial Strategy that rebalances the UK economy.

“Northern Powerhouse Rail could give us that connectivity and drive transformational improvements in productivity and growth.”

Mr O’Toole said 2017 is going to be a “very important year” for the North, adding: “We have the plan. The time is now for Government to commit to it, starting in just a few weeks time with the Budget.”

Discussing the airport’s £1bn Transformation Programme, he said the scheme is “all about investing in the future, so we can continue to grow by securing more direct flight services in our role as the North’s global gateway.”

He continued: “We’ve made a massive private investment commitment, which clearly shows ours ambition for the Northern Powerhouse to succeed, and now we call upon Government to match that through delivering on key infrastructure schemes.”

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