MPs discuss Manchester Airport’s role in the Northern Powerhouse

In a debate this week, MPs from both main parties discussed Manchester Airport and its role in driving the government’s vision of a Northern Powerhouse.

The parliamentary discussion saw Manchester Airport hailed as an asset to place the city “in the Premier League”, but MPs also said improved rail links between the east and west are essential for spreading its benefits across the North.

Saffron Walden MP Sir Alan Haselhurst, who formerly represented Middleton and Prestwich, claimed that while Manchester Airport served a record 23m passengers in 2015, the facility has the potential to see as many as 55m.

Speaking further, he said: “We are beset by the division between the capital city and the rest of the United Kingdom, and I find that the term regional airports somehow implies second division.

“It is like talking about the Premiership and the Championship in football and that regional airports are somehow different or less good.”

Sir Alan continued: “I am a northerner and at one stage I represented a Greater Manchester seat. I was very pro the development of Manchester Airport but we have never yet exploited the regional airports to their full.

“At the moment, there is an urgent need to do so, because they have usable capacity.”

In response, Wythenshawe and Sale East MP Mike Kane pointed out that the airport’s passenger levels are forecast to hit 45m by 2025, significantly boosting its place on the international stage.

He added: “It has the capacity, with the two runways, to go to 55m passengers a year. A total of 100k tonnes of goods are exported out of Manchester Airport and it generates 21k jobs.”

Mr Kane also said he believes the right transport links connecting the east with the west would “massively” boost Manchester Airport’s catchment area to 18m people, encompassing the Liverpool City Region as well as Sheffield and Leeds.

Bosses at Manchester Airport have attributed last year’s growth figures to its increasing route portfolio, which today offers 210 destinations with 70 airlines.

Ken O’Toole, the airport’s managing director, said: “It is pleasing to see politicians from across the political spectrum and from various parts of the UK recognising Manchester Airport’s role as a national asset based in the North of England.

“With no new runway capacity likely to be provided in the South East for 15-20 years, Manchester Airport can play an important role in the short to medium term and it has already proved to be an attractive option to long haul carriers like Cathay Pacific and Hainan Airlines.

He concluded: “We will continue to drive growth at Manchester but for the wider north to benefit from what we offer, there are clear measures government can take, such as improving rail connectivity to the airport and reforming Air Passenger Duty.”