Business leaders back Birmingham Airport runway extension
10.01.08
Local business leaders have backed Birmingham Airport's plans for a 400 metre runway extension that would allow more long haul flights to operate from the hub.
The airport announced this week that it has submitted a planning application to Solihull Council to extend its main runway by more than 400 metres. If approved, this would allow planes to carry extra fuel so they could fly direct to distant locations such as Japan, Australia and California, which cannot currently be reached by direct flights form the hub.
Supporting the application, local business leaders stressed the region must have its own 'global gateway', if it is compete on an equal footing with other cities in the UK and around the world to attract investment.
Alan Durham, a director of Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the scheme would provide new opportunities for the region. The airport hopes to complete the longer runway in time for the 2012 Olympic Games, but they face opposition from green campaigners including Friends of the Earth and Birmingham Anti-Noise Group.
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