Transport CommitteeWritten evidence from Newcastle International Airport Ltd (AS 38)
1. What should be the objectives of Government policy on aviation?
The objectives of Government policy on aviation should be to:
place aviation at the centre of economic policy, with the aim of using it to help grow the economy and making the UK more competitive;
recognise the economic benefits of providing more airport capacity, and plan for this alongside other infrastructure requirements;
view aviation and high speed rail as being complementary to one another, ensure that they are properly integrated, and recognise that for regions further north aviation is a better option than even high speed rail for domestic and short haul journeys;
recognise that it is in the interests of the UK that it retains its important hub role, and plan for additional hub capacity to serve London and the rest of the UK. Heathrow Airport presents the most viable and deliverable option in the medium term, although other options should be considered;
ensure that as part of the planning permission for the above that some of the additional capacity is ring-fenced for regional air services;
create the conditions for regional airports to flourish, including the use of differential rates of Air Passenger Duty (APD) to stimulate new regional air services, thereby encouraging the use of under-utilised runways in the regions, and reduce the need for surface travel within the UK; and
ensure the environmental costs of aviation are balanced with the economic benefits.
(a) How important is international aviation connectivity to the UK aviation industry?
The UK economy, including regions like the North East, must compete within a global marketplace. Businesses require convenient access to key markets, headquarters, customers, offices, factories, conventions, etc. and will make their locational and investment decisions based on this. In our preparations for this Inquiry we asked businesses in the North East for their views, and we have included (separate supporting document) in this response a number of case studies showing the extent to which they reliant upon aviation.
Of particular note are the comments from the following.
“Without Newcastle Airport, the Company would need to take some serious decisions regarding its operations in the North East”—Arriva Plc
“Formica has its European HQ in the North East. The services that Newcastle Airport offers are an important part of what makes the region a viable location for the company HQ”—Formica
(b) What are the benefits of aviation to the UK economy?
Aviation and airports are critical in supporting economic activity, in keeping people and businesses moving, and in linking places that are trading as part of a globalised economy. Aviation accounts for 3.6% of the UK economy, creates wealth of about £50 billion and sustains 921,000 jobs. Newcastle Airport delivers multiple benefits to the North East economy, including connectivity, jobs, GVA, inbound tourism, journey time savings, exports and revenues to the exchequer. In 2012, we commissioned York Aviation to assess the economic impact of Newcastle Airport, and their key findings were as follows:-
The Airport supports 7,800 jobs, including 3,200 on site, a further 500 off site through direct effects, and a further 4,100 across the North East through indirect and induced effects;
A total of £402.5 million in Gross Value Added is generated annually;
The Airport supports £57 million per year via tourism impacts, and 1,750 tourism jobs;
The journey time benefits generated as a result of services provided by the Airport will bring net economic benefits to the region of £243.3 million in 2012. Journey time benefits are derived from shorter journey times for passengers and businesses, and the producer benefits triggered by these;
The value of exports shipped via the Airport is £173.6 million per annum. Of this £150 million is carried on the Emirates service, which highlights the transformational effect a single long haul scheduled service can have;
APD paid by passengers flying from Newcastle in 2012 is expected to be £48.8 million, compared to a total turnover for Newcastle International Airport Ltd of £52 million. This highlights the scale of tax take compared to the overall size of our business. In 2013 APD take will outstrip turnover.
Newcastle Airport is a public-private partnership between a private sector shareholder and 7 Local Authorities (Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Sunderland.) In addition to providing the Local Authorities with dividends, we work very closely with them, the North Eastern LEP, and the North East Chamber of Commerce on a range of economic development, tourism and inward investment activities.
(c) What is the impact of Air Passenger Duty on the aviation industry?
Air Passenger Duty has reached levels that are making the UK economy uncompetitive. We recognise that it raises important income for the Exchequer but believe that lowering APD would generate other taxation revenues. With this in mind we support the calls for a comprehensive review of the impact of APD on total tax take and the economy. We would also request that government is more joined up, ie that aviation and taxation policy and looked at alongside each other.
Regional Airports have long argued APD has a disproportionate impact on the regions. Regional airports and airlines have a lower percentage of business travellers or inbound tourists than the London airports and have been hit hard by the economic downturn.
International air connections are recognised as a key factor in determining where companies choose to locate and invest. The region is already relatively poorly connected when compared to other UK and European city regions. The loss of a number of critical air services would be a significant blow, setting the region back both in terms of private sector activity and the outlook and aspirations of its population. Large and international employers could have to review their presence in the region.
We believe the Government should provide economic incentives to encourage airlines to make better use of those regional airports where capacity is available. A “congestion charge” on the busiest London airports, or a lower rate outside of London, could have a transformational impact in terms of protecting key routes and attracting new ones.
The Government has stated that it wants to explore how to create the right conditions for regional airports to flourish. We are strongly of the view that intervention in respect of APD is by far the biggest lever available, and that the Government should act now, before it is too late. The possible devolution of APD to Scotland raises huge issues for other regional airports, particularly those closer to the Scottish border. Devolving APD to the Scottish administration, given their keenness to reduce the rate of APD in order to give Scotland a competitive advantage, would have a damaging impact upon Newcastle Airport and the North East region.
A devolved approach, whereby passengers—who are essentially mobile between airports—could pay significantly less north of the border than they would pay south of the border, would in our view be certainly very unfair. It would lead to the loss of a significant number of direct and indirect jobs in the North East of England and make this region even less competitive.
In the event of devolved APD, and should the Scottish Government elect to reduce the rate or cancel the Duty altogether, we anticipate that both passengers and airlines would move from North English airports to airports north of the border, particularly Edinburgh and Glasgow.
We are aware that the Treasury and HMRC carry out detailed modelling of taxation scenarios, and that the Department for Transport carries out regular modelling and forecasting of passenger numbers at all airports. As a next step in this dialogue, we request that the government uses its modelling capabilities to assess the potential impact of differential APD rates between congested and non-congested airports and compares the outputs to alternative scenarios whereby APD is devolved. In a recent written answer, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury confirmed that this work had been done by HMRC, and that the results would be published in due course.
(d) How should improving the passenger experience be reflected in the Government’s aviation strategy?
The customer experience is at the heart of our business, and we firmly believe that in order to compete with other airports and alternative modes of transport we must make Newcastle Airport the first choice of our customers. We have worked hard on processes, made investments of over £100 million since 2000, and implemented cultural change and staff training.
Every single member of staff has been given training on the Big 6 and the positive impact of this has been noticed by our customers. This is clear evidence that the market and competition, not regulation, can drive improvements in the customer experience.
(e) Where does aviation fit in the overall transport strategy?
Aviation must sit within an overall transport strategy that aims to integrate various modes, such as rail, road and air, and ensure that they complement one another. Policy must move away from an assumption that rail is good and air is bad, and that high speed rail will replace domestic aviation. For regions further north, including the North East, the high speed rail journeys to London, to connecting flights at Heathrow, and to near continental destinations, will be too long compared to the equivalent air services.
The suggestion by the Government that demand for UK internal flights could be reduced by the introduction of high speed rail may well be correct, but such a displacement would not be in the best interests of the more peripheral regions, including the North East. There are a number of aspects to this concern, as set out below.
Almost 500,000 passengers fly between Newcastle and Heathrow each year. Of these, half are connecting and the remainder travel point to point. Some of those travelling point to point between the North East and London/South East may well be well served by a HSR alternative, but given that the rail market share between Newcastle and London is already 64%, one has to assume that those flying are doing so for a good reason, for example business trips to West London and the M4 corridor, which are very conveniently served via Heathrow.
Almost 250,000 passengers connect via Heathrow to a wide range of European and long haul services. HSR will not provide an acceptable alternative for these customers. Connecting air services allow passengers to clear security and check in baggage to their final destination, rather than carrying it on and off trains, with at least one rail to rail interchange, and at least two security screening processes. The projected journey time savings between conventional rail and HSR are highly questionable, with the HSR assumptions seemingly based upon unrealistic connection times and timetabling.
HSR will not adequately serve connections between the North East and other major cities in the UK. Abstraction from air to HSR of just a few passengers could nevertheless undermine the viability of services to centres such as Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff, and Exeter. Often business travellers need to make short trips to these places, sometimes in a day, and rail travel, even with HSR, would not permit this.
The assumption that short haul aviation could be reduced by further international high speed rail services from cities across the country using a direct link via the High Speed 1 line to the Channel Tunnel is not practical. Those regions furthest north, including the North East, are the least likely to benefit from such provision. Journey times of 7, 8 or 9 hours to cities such as Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Frankfurt are far too long for business travelers. Furthermore, if we assume that people from the North East are no longer connecting by air via Heathrow, then there would be a greater reliance on connections via the near European hubs. Should these services be undermined by competition from international HSR, particularly in respect of leisure passengers, then the connectivity of regions like the North East will again be seriously threatened.
2. How should we make the best use of existing aviation capacity?
(a) How do we make the best use of existing London airport capacity? Are the Government’s current measures sufficient? What more could be done to improve passenger experience and airport resilience?
We would support mixed mode operations at Heathrow in order to unlock extra capacity, and we would be supportive of additional capacity at other South East airports, but none of this would override the need for significant expansion of hub capacity.
(b) Does the Government’s current strategy make the best use of existing capacity at airports outside the south east? How could this be improved?
Newcastle is the largest airport in the North East of England and 11th largest in the UK, serving a catchment area that includes Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, County Durham, Teesside, as well as parts of Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Southern Scotland. The Airport is critical to the economy of the North East. The Airport supports 7800 jobs in the region, and contributes almost £402 million to the regional economy every year.
Our Airport accommodated 4.4 million passengers in 2011, but has terminal capacity to handle between 7 and 8 million, and a runway that could accommodate 20 million or more. There are relatively few environmental constraints to the future development of the Airport, a lower noise impact than most other airports, strong regional support and a balanced view from the local community about the benefits of having an airport.
Newcastle has a reasonable network of air services across the UK and Europe, and in 2007 secured its first long haul scheduled service with Emirates’ daily flight to Dubai. The Emirates service has helped significantly increase the region’s connectivity and led to increased economic activity in the region with a positive impact upon employment. The service has had a significant impact upon the level of business activity, for example assisting an increase in trade between the North East and Australasia from under £150 million in 2007 to just under £275 million in the last 12 months, and trade with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other more easily accessed economies has grown strongly. The service has recently been enhanced through the introduction of a larger Boeing 777–300 aircraft.
The Government should recognise the scale of the benefits that just one route can have, and build a policy framework which encourages the establishment of more game-changing services at regional airports. Our view is that the biggest single lever that is available is APD, and that other measures, such as planning, will have little effect. If EU State Aid rules were relaxed, then perhaps route development funding could assist.
(c) How can surface access to airports be improved?
Surface access to airports, including both road and public transport, should be prioritised within funding allocations. Newcastle Airport benefits from both good trunk road and Metro access, but the A1 Gateshead Western Bypass is heavily congested at peak times. This will act as a brake on the regional economy unless a capacity enhancement is brought forward.
In the longer term, we believe there is the potential to improve rail access to Newcastle Airport. With this in mind we have assessed the feasibility of heavy rail track share with the existing Metro service and have secured the Benton Curve, which links the ECML with the Metro line to the Airport.
3. What constraints are there on increasing UK aviation capacity?
(a) Are the Government’s proposals to manage the impact of aviation on the local environment sufficient, particularly in terms of reducing the impact of noise on local residents?
We recognise that noise is an important issue, particularly at larger airports. At airports like Heathrow it important that the impact that noise has upon significant numbers of people in the SW London is balanced with the benefits that airport brings to millions of people and businesses across the UK.
The noise climate at Newcastle Airport causes fewer issues. For over 60,000 annual aircraft movements, we get around 100 noise complaints. It is essential that Noise Management Plans, an approach that we support, are tailored to local circumstances. At airports where there is local support, and where expansion would benefit the economy, measures such as night-time bans, quota counts or noise enveloped could be inappropriate and damaging. At Newcastle, a system of noise preferential routes, monitoring and other procedures help to keep the matter under control.
(b) Will the Government’s proposals help reduce carbon emissions and manage the impact of aviation on climate change? How can aviation be made more sustainable?
It is clear that aviation emissions must be dealt with if the sector’s businesses are to grow. We believe that the best way to do this is through a global cap and trade deal. Its members have worked under the auspices of various groups to call for, and progress this.
Second best is to deal with emissions at European level. We supported the entry of the aviation sector into the European Emissions Trading (ETS) scheme because the scheme incorporates a real cap on emissions from European Member States, while at the same time providing flexibility for participant sectors to trade with each other; depending on how cost-effectively they can deliver cuts in carbon emissions. Having said that, we are now concerned that the combined impact of ETS and APD will have an unacceptable impact upon regional air services, particularly if APD rises further.
We do not support a unilateral UK aviation target. The UK has a significant unilateral aviation tax (APD) which serves to capture UK aviation’s external costs and we do not believe this should be supplemented with a further hard target. While the sector believes that it is entirely feasible that real UK aviation emissions can be returned to 2000 levels by 2050, the scenario presented in Sustainable Aviation’s 2008 Roadmap, we believe that the compound effect of EU ETS targets, manufacturer research commitments, fuel prices, tax, airspace constraints, the cycle of fleet airline renewal, and industry reputational management, provide sufficient motivation to achieve the road map’s aims. A key point is that improvements in negatives requires investment in new technology yet government is taking money away from airlines which could be used to invest in this new technology.
(c) What is the relationship between the Government’s strategy and EU aviation policies?
It is important that any UK Aviation Strategy is not undermined by EU State Aid, airspace, security, a rapidly escalating ETS or other regulations.
4. Do we need a step-change in UK aviation capacity? Why?
Yes. The political parties need to stop treating aviation as a “political football” and take brave decisions on major capacity projects. The UK will otherwise fall behind not only the European countries we are competing with, but also the emerging economies where dozens of runways are being built.
(a) What should this step-change be? Should there be a new hub airport? Where?
We strongly support the retention and expansion of prominent hub airport on UK soil. We continue to support a third runway at Heathrow and a second runway at Gatwick, although other options should be considered. We remain unconvinced that a Thames Estuary airport would be deliverable or indeed affordable for regional air services. Some of the additional capacity provided should be ring-fenced via planning agreement from regional air services.
The development of an alternative hub and possible closure of Heathrow would have serious consequences. A massive amount of investment has been made in the facilities at Heathrow, including a huge new terminal still under construction. It is nonsensical to think that this could all be scrapped at a time when resources are so scarce. Moreover, businesses have located in west London because of Heathrow. Its demise could have a damaging impact on many companies, their employees and the wider economy.
Expanding Heathrow would support the continued role of London as a global business centre and would have a number of positive impacts on the UK economy. It would allow BA and Virgin to grow and increase employment within the UK. It would also ensure that the UK remains in control of its own destiny as there is no guarantee that UK airports will have access to European hubs as these hubs become congested. A strategy which is based upon UK regions being served solely through overseas hubs would mean that its future was based upon the decisions of other Governments or foreign businesses regarding capacity at airports over which we would have no influence.
A region like the North East will always be reliant upon a mix of hub and point to point connections. In addition to UK hub connections and other domestic services the key destinations for Newcastle are continental European hubs (Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, and, in the future, Copenhagen and Frankfurt) together with Dubai (secured) and New York (target.) There will need to be more connections, both direct and via hubs, to the rapidly increasing number of airports in emerging economies, including China, India, Brazil, and SE Asia. We see hub connections at Dubai and New York as assisting significantly with this requirement in respect of the North East of England.
(b) What are the costs and benefits of these different ways to increase UK aviation capacity?
There will be significant costs, particularly in terms of noise, but these must be balanced with the much larger benefits to the whole of the UK and its competitive position.
18 October 2012
CASE STUDIES
This document contains information supplied directly from each of the organisations listed
1. Depa Ltd
1.2 Depa Ltd. is an international company which specialises in the full-scope turnkey fit-out and furnishing of five-star luxury hotels, yachts, apartments, and other fine private and public facilities in Dubai and around the world.
1.2 The business has steadily grown and expanded throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Dubai, the company has an expansive network. All UK operations are run by a 15 strong team in from Middlesbrough, Teesside. The team consists of designers, logistics, and quantity surveyors.
1.3 Tight adherence to clients’ needs is essential to the business. The CEO of the UK operational function uses Newcastle Airport three to four times a month to connect to the headquarters in Dubai and beyond. For Depa, business is growing in Europe and Russia, new and additional routes would help the business grow in the region. The airport’s connectivity is key to the organisation.
2. Durham County Cricket Club
2.1 Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground is a world class sporting and music venue which regularly attracts visitors from all over the world. The complex, which in addition to being, the home of Durham County Cricket Club, includes a Playing for Success Learning Centre which is located on the ground floor of the Media and Education Centre. Emirates Durham ICG also offers a meeting and events facility for local businesses. Durham FA, Riverside Physiotherapy, Chester le Street Council Sports Pavilion, the Indoor School and Bannatyne’s Health and Fitness Club are also located at the Riverside.
2.2 The club uses the airport regularly for cricket tours and individual business travel.
The services at the airport have had a direct positive impact on the business due to the ease of arrival for overseas players and teams to be able to fly direct into the region.
2.3 The bids for Emirates Durham ICG to host major international matches has been boosted by Emirates presence at the airport and in the region, the route provides great travel access to the region for the overseas teams/visitors/supporters.
3. Ecco Finishing Supplies
3.1 Ecco Finishing Supplies Ltd is an SME based in Middlesbrough, Teesside. The company is a major supplier to a wide range of Motor Vehicles manufacturers across the globe. Their equipment can be found applying paint to a motor car, to the hull of a ship, mobile telephones, bathroom ceramics, and laptop computers.
3.2 From the Middlesbrough base, the company delivers products direct to customers. The products they supply are from world leaders in their field such as Ecco Finishing AB, Graco and Wagne Spraytech as well as their own manufactured blast units. Their workforce consists of engineers and a sales team.
3.3 The business uses the airport frequently to Dubai, Europe and North America. This connectivity is used to move products into the UAE very quickly, it’s had a very positive impact on the business.
4. Hart Door Systems
4.1 Hart Door Systems is a specialised engineering company which has pioneered the development of industrial door systems including its own exclusive “Speedor” range which is operational in over 14 countries world-wide. The SME is based in Newcastle upon Tyne and employs around 30 people.
4.2 Exports have been slow over the past 12 months, but this is expected to up turn during next few months and into next year.
4.3 The organisation uses air travel as required depending on the needs of the business and which projects are being worked on. Travel is mostly to the Middle East and Africa.
4.4 Staff travel to support distributors in the UAE and the Middle East region, and clients and distributors in the UAE visit the region. The managing director and sales manager are travelling to Brazil in November. The contract manager travels to meetings in Cairo and needs to visit both UAE and Saudi before the end of year. The company’s fitting team travel to Cairo regularly. For a small business, the airport is used frequently.
4.5 The team use Emirates’ daily service to Dubai. It has had a very positive impact on the company and the North East business community as a whole. Being able to connect the export business to the Middle East region has proved vital to its growth and development.
4.6 When giving presentations in UAE to potential clients, the Dubai connection is a key selling point. It extremely important that customers have easy communication with the company from the UAE, Emirates and Newcastle International Airport provide this.
5. John Lilley & Gillie Ltd
5.1 The organisation are United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) International Chart Agents, this means that they sell “ADMIRALTY” navigation charts and publications to our customers all over the world. Two of their largest fleet owning customers are both based in the UK, BP Shipping and OSG. However, the greater majority of the other chart customers are worldwide.
5.2 The equipment customers have historically been based in the Far East- Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Now they have penetrated new markets in Singapore, China, India, Vietnam and the Middle East.
5.3 They were recently awarded a contract worth £137,000 to supply magnetic compass systems to an Indian Shipyard. Partially because they have been able to demonstrate to their client that they have the ability to have our Technicians and Engineering staff attend the shipyard to carry out installation and commissioning/operator service training there is a very real chance that they will be in a good position for any similar projects that come along.
5.4 Over the last 20 years the Sales force has been located in North Shields and they have used Newcastle International Airport for all their business air travel. However, within the last 3 years a Technical Salesman has been recruited who is based full time in Singapore. The Emirates service to Dubai from Newcastle Airport, with direct connection to Singapore, was a major factor in the decision to reinforce their position there. It is unquestionable that without his presence their business would not be as successful as it is.
5.5 The company would expect to make in excess of 40 trips from Newcastle Airport this year, mostly to Dubai, but then with connections onto Singapore, China, India etc. However, they have some of the other largest Chart customers based in Hong Kong, Turkey, Egypt, Vietnam, Mexico and Brazil. They will have departed from Newcastle then joined a flight elsewhere to visit their truly worldwide customer base.
5.6 In the main, the reasons for their business travel are threefold:
(a)
(b)
(c)
5.7 Clearly the introduction of the Emirates service at Newcastle Airport has had a very direct and beneficial impact on this business. Through Dubai they feel they have a gateway to their world-wide customer base.
5.8 At present the business is in the early stages of establishing a Joint Venture in Dubai for the Charts distribution business. Quite clearly, without the Emirates Service from Newcastle Airport the business feels this would be a far less attractive proposition.
5.9 The following table demonstrates John Lilley & Gillie Limited’s employment & trading figures over the last 5 years.
|
YEAR ENDED |
TOTAL TUNOVER = £’S |
DIRECT OVERSEAS SALES = £’S |
NUMBER OF UK EMPLOYEES |
|
To 30/09/2011 |
6584826 |
4609378 |
61 |
|
31/12/2010 |
7121063 |
4663620 |
53 |
|
31/12/2009 |
7063413 |
4944389 |
57 |
|
31/12/2008 |
7505696 |
5253987 |
56 |
|
31/12/2007 |
6267260 |
4387082 |
54 |
|
31/12/2006 |
6213770 |
4349639 |
51 |
|
31/12/2005 |
5694989 |
3986492 |
49 |
These show an improving trend, and they are expecting total turnover this year to exceed £7.8 million.
6. Newcastle United Football Club
“The excellent International air links provided by Newcastle International, such as the Emirates Service and its network, certainly helps the club’s international activities. It’s also a service used and appreciated by the staff and players at the club for business and leisure purposes.”
7. Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club
“A number of southern hemisphere players have joined the club in recent years, and have regularly used the Dubai to Newcastle flight. Newcastle Falcons is a very ambitious club and the connectivity from Newcastle Airport helps greatly in attracting top class rugby players to the North East. The route to Dubai is very accessible for the players and has allowed loved ones to visit them and vice versa.”
8. Northumbria University
“Northumbria University is the largest recruiter of international students in the North East and having the Dubai route has made travel easier for a very large number of our international students. Many prefer the convenience of flying directly into Newcastle International Airport where we meet them. The Emirates service is also very popular with University staff who regularly travel to our major overseas markets.”
Director of International Development
9. Sage UK
9.1 Sage is a global enterprise software company headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne with over a thousand people employed at this office. It is the world’s third-largest supplier of enterprise resource planning software, the largest supplier to small businesses, and has millions of customers worldwide. It has offices in over 20 countries worldwide and its products and services are available in more than 160 countries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
9.2 Sage make thousands of inbound and outbound business trips every year from Newcastle Airport to meet with customers, attend events, attend internal meetings, and to conduct training. These meetings attract new customers, develop the expertise of staff and grow internal relations.
9.3 The company travel uses domestic air services frequently across the UK and Ireland, and international routes to the USA, the Middle East, Far East, and Europe. It also plays a major role in bringing people into the region
9.4 Sage’s business travel clearly demonstrates the companies heavily reliance on the air services and connectivity offered at Newcastle Airport.
9.5 “Newcastle airport is instrumental in transporting our people across all our locations, it is just 10 minutes’ drive from our global headquarters and really helps us to get out there and do our business without a second thought! It’s a real asset to our region and something we rely heavily on.”
UK Travel and Facilities Manager
10. Sunderland Association Football Club
10.1 The premier league team uses Newcastle Airport regularly. They fly to games in the south of the UK, and also pre-season if outside of UK.
10.2 With the International expansion aspirations, the club would expect International travel in-coming and outgoing to expand, for example they have recently had two trips in the past month to Korea forge stronger links where the striker Ji Wong will be playing for his national team.
10.3 The club are also in process of speaking with Ryanair about re-establishing links and fan travel etc. with Ireland via their links. Building partnerships is key.
10.4 The clubs feels the success and development of Newcastle Airport has a direct impact on improving their connectivity, especially as they develop the brand over coming years to move into a global position. The airport also has a positive impact on the businesses within the city; it has become an integral part of the region’s infrastructure and economy, providing an invaluable service to the public and businesses in the North East, including Sunderland AFC.
10.5 The services at Newcastle Airport have made the journey to and from football grounds around the UK a much shorter and more pleasant experience for the team and many of our supporters, while also continuing to be an essential gateway for holidays, commuting and building closer relationships with international partners.
11. Thermal Resources Management Ltd (TRM Ltd)
11.1 The TRM Group of Companies is the world’s largest manufacturers of Mineral Insulated Heating, thermoelectric and fireproof wiring cables, heating elements and temperature measurement probes and assembles. The head office operates from Washington, Tyne and Wear, and workforce of approximately 50 people comprises of former BICC senior managers and technicians.
11.2 The business uses Newcastle International Airport to travel every week. The team use Emirates going East, KLM Air France for European destinations, and British Airways for travel to the USA.
11.3 80% of the companies produce is exported. The team travels to make agreements and win orders etc. This business development would be difficult to achieve without the connectivity at the airport. Access from the head office to the airport is quick and easy.
12. University of Sunderland
“The connectivity and route via Dubai from Newcastle Airport as an international travel hub has provided improved access for all of our international students coming to us from many countries around the world”.
Head of International Business Development