Transport secretary calls Britain-Asia air links vital

The importance of China and Asia to Britain's aviation and airports sector was stressed in London Thursday by government Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

Grayling was making a keynote speech at a conference in London of the Airports Operators Association to discuss aviation and the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport.

He told delegates Britain has to connect with fast-growing cities in Asia, South America, and Africa, while maintaining strong connections to vital markets like the United States, Australia and Europe.

Looking at where global aviation is heading, Grayling said the industry anticipates that there'll be demand for 33,000 new passenger and freight aircraft over the next 20 years.

"That will pretty much double the size of the world's fleet, though we'll be flying on a new generation of lighter, cleaner, quieter aircraft, " he said, adding: "But what's important is that Britain is in a position to take advantage of that growth."

Grayling said: "The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says that if Britain retains its aviation market share, air traffic growth in Asia alone will create an extra 4.7 billion pounds (5.86 billion U.S.dollars) in exports over the next 10 years, and the creation of 20,000 high value jobs."

Britain's aviation industry is already responsible for 40 percent of the country's imports and exports by value outside the EU.

Grayling said away from the main London airports, Britain's provincial airports are flying high, handling over 97 million passengers in the past year.

Grayling described British aviation as a success story, saying airports have a critical role to play in building a prosperous future.

Commenting on his recent decision to give government backing to a new third runway at Heathrow, already Europe's busiest airport, Grayling said it will pave the way for an extra 260,000 aircraft movements, worth 76 billion U.S. dollars a year to the British economy.

Looking to the post-Brexit era, Grayling said: "We are working hard across government to ensure our exit strategy addresses concerns of the aviation industry. That includes on issues like air traffic management, safety regulation, customs and border control."

"It's vital we have best possible access to European markets. This will be a fundamental consideration when it comes to negotiating our future relationship with the EU." Endit