Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on business of airport expansion in the South East.

Expansion at Heathrow will enable businesses to take advantage of new destinations, extra seats and more frequent services.

It is expected that in 2040 alone, businesses from all over the UK will make an extra 6 million trips through an expanded Heathrow. Making use of this greater international connectivity would help boost trade and productivity, and the UK economy.

Not only will greater connectivity enable business travel, the significant increase in flights, especially to long haul destinations, represents a big increase in the capacity available to the air freight industry, helping to lower costs and increase trade.

An additional runway at Heathrow will also deliver a significant boost in local employment and opportunities for businesses. Analysis suggests that an additional runway at Heathrow would deliver up to 77,000 local jobs by 2030. Expansion is also expected to benefit businesses located around the expanded airport, further boosting productivity.