News
Airport Operators Association response to High Speed 2 route announcement
The Airport Operators Association (AOA) has responded to today’s unveiling by the Department for Transport (DfT) of the proposed route for the second stage of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway link.
Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Airport Operators Association, said:
“The Airport Operators Association supports HS2, which we believe will greatly improve the UK’s national infrastructure and boost connectivity. It is crucial that the line links up with the UK’s major airports, and helps to deliver a genuinely integrated transport policy.
“This enhanced level of connectivity could significantly improve the passenger experience for business people, tourists and those seeking to visit friends and family in the UK and around the world.”
For further information please contact Tim Alderslade on 0207 340 0992 or timalderslade@aoa.org.uk.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
The 211-mile stretch of line, which will run from Birmingham to both Manchester and Leeds, will open by 2032. It will stop at five new stations, including a brand new station at Manchester Airport. This means that the whole of HS2, including the southern, phase-one route between London and Birmingham, which was announced a year ago, will link up two UK airports, Manchester and Birmingham.
The DfT has also announced that HS2 will connect to Heathrow Airport from the first day that phase-one opens in 2026 via an 11-minute Crossrail link at the new Old Oak Common station, although the so-called ‘Heathrow spur’ has been referred to the Airports Commission and will only go ahead if it recommends expansion at Heathrow when it publishes a final set of recommendations for future UK aviation capacity needs in 2015.
The Airport Operators Association: The AOA is the trade association that represents UK airports. Its mission is to see UK airports grow sustainably. It represents the views of UK airports to Government, Parliament and Regulators to secure policy outcomes that help deliver our mission. The AOA represents some 70 UK airports and general aviation airfields in the UK. For more information, please visit www.aoa.org.uk .
Tim Alderslade
Public Affairs & PR Manager
