TBI boss says airport should become part of Government expansion plans
The head of the UK’s second-largest airport operator TBI, Keith Brooks, has stated his intention to expand Luton airport – and make sure the hub features prominently in Government plans to increase aviation capacity in the south-east of the country.
Brooks has long argued for the expansion of Luton and is pushing for the Department of Transport to include Luton in its plans for the next 20 or 25 years.
He reportedly told The Times: “Luton deserves a place at the table. Luton had not figured much in the transport department’s thinking but I think Alistair Darling is becoming interested in our plans.” He also reportedly had a dig at his rival BAA, saying that the operator’s plans were “all that mattered in Whitehall”. He added: “Part of my beef is that BAA thinks it had a God-given right to control aviation in the south-east.”
Brooks continued: “At the moment the proposal is that Luton can take up to 31 million passengers over the next 20 to 25 years and what we are saying is ‘fine, that will be very good for our business’. But if you look at the capacity constraint in the south-east, why shouldn’t it be much more than that? Why shouldn’t Luton feature as strongly as, for example, Stansted?”
