Heathrow Chairman Sir Nigel Rudd will be stepping down from his role in September, 2016.
Mr. Nigel said; “I’m really proud to have played a role in re-establishing Heathrow as a national asset for the UK. I’ve seen first-hand just how much of an economic engine Heathrow is for all parts of our great trading nation. That’s why it’s so important that Government lives up to its “open for business” mandate and expands Heathrow. We can keep Britain at the heart of the global economy and I will continue to actively make the case for a bigger and better Heathrow.”
He further expressed his opinion that the MP is holding England “to ransom” as he feels they are more focused on politics than with the economy of the country.
With strong focus on the European referendum, the MP is pushing off the conversation about the third runway at Heathrow. Sir Nigel feels that by delaying their decision they are not looking at the bigger economic picture.
There are a number of reasons adding a third runway to Heathrow makes sense. First, the airport is currently at almost 100% capacity. If Heathrow cannot keep up this will affect their status as trading capital of the world, and could possibly affect their ability to maintain that status as well as losing their place as the largest hub in Europe. The proposed runway also has the support of the West Country whom are desperate for the connectivity to London. It will boost the economy by about 7b annually. And last, there will be 100s of 100s of jobs created.
With all of this said, Sir Nigel believes the runway will get approved. He says it is the only sensible decision, if one is to keep UK’s future economy in mind.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said it has been an honour and great pleasure to work with Sir Nigel and will miss his sound advice, unerring support and good humour.
“We are starting the process of finding a replacement for Sir Nigel and Heathrow thanks him for the tremendous work he has done for our company over the past decade.” He added.