Growing Gatwick airport will not create economic growth

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) responds to the upcoming announcement on the expansion of Gatwick airport, today.

Dr Alex Chapman, senior economist at NEF, said:

“Growing Gatwick will not magic up the economic growth the government so desperately wants. Business air travel has collapsed while expansion will see three times as many tourists leave the country as come in.

“Voters living outside London and the south east will not thank the government for this decision. Expanding airports like Gatwick doesn’t create new jobs — it displaces jobs from the wider UK regions, and particularly the domestic tourism industry which is a key source of spending outside London and the South East.

“The UK is small country with a remarkably high number of international airports. People are already perfectly able to catch cheap flights on holiday or travel for business. If this government is so desperate for growth, it should focus on investing properly in the vital public services upon which the health of our economy really depends.”

Notes

The New Economics Foundation is a charitable think tank. We are independent of political parties and committed to being transparent about how we are funded.