Tees Valley Mayor gets green light from Chamber members on airport business scheme

The result of a consultation by North East England Chamber of Commerce, with its Tees Valley members following the publication of the proposed airport business plan by the Mayor’s office, has shown that the majority of them are in favour of the proposal.

As part of the research, businesses were asked which routes were a priority for them and the majority cited EU travel as the main destination.

They also said it was important that there were more convenient connections and better interlining at Schiphol Airport for forward travel to Europe and the rest of the world.

Members stated that they appreciated the investment needed was a substantial level but it was ‘a risk worth taking’.

Rachel Anderson, chamber assistant director (policy) for the Tees Valley, said: “From our discussions with businesses it is very clear our members see the development of Tees Valley airport as a priority for our devolved funds.

“There is now a huge amount of work to do to ensure it has a successful future.”

They also said there would be much level of work to be done to attract new customers if the airport was to succeed. Businesses were also very aware of the cost of flights which needed to be monitored to ensure they represented good value for money.

There was also recognition that this forms part of the wider investment plan for the Tees Valley and welcomed the other measures set out in that plan.