Membership of the Airports Commission

A panel of six experts will take forward vital work to examine how the UK’s status as a leading global aviation hub can be maintained.  The Commissioners who will support Sir Howard Davies are:

  • Sir John Armitt CBE, the former Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority and former Chief Executive of Network Rail;
  • Professor Ricky Burdett, Professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics (LSE) and director of the LSE Cities research centre;
  • Vivienne Cox, the former CEO and Executive Vice President of BP Alternative Energy and a former member of the BP Executive Management Team; and
  • Professor Dame Julia King, Vice Chancellor of Aston University and a member of the Committee on Climate Change, with a background in the aerospace industry.

Biographies for the four Commissioners can be found here.

(Geoff Muirhead was originally a member of the Airports Commission but stood down from his role on the 20 September 2013 by mutual consent with the Secretary of State for Transport)

Work Programme

  • The Commission should report no later than summer 2015 on:
    • its assessment of the options for meeting the UK’s international connectivity needs, including their economic, social and environmental impact;
    • its recommendation(s) for the optimum approach to meeting any needs; and
    • its recommendation(s) for ensuring that the need is met as expeditiously as practicable within the required timescale
  • The Commission should base the recommendations in its final report on a detailed consideration of the case for each of the credible options. This should include the development or examination of detailed business cases and environmental assessments for each option, as well as consideration of their operational, commercial and technical viability.
  • As part of its final report in summer 2015, it should also provide materials, based on this detailed analysis, which will support the Government in preparing a National Policy Statement to accelerate the resolution of any future planning applications for major airports infrastructure.

Full Terms of Reference for the Airports Commission can be found here.

The operating protocols for the Airports Commission can be found here.

Notes from the Department for Transport’s launch of the Airports Commission can be found here.

Update 20 September 2013:

The Department for Transport announced that Geoff Muirhead CBE, former Chief Executive of Manchester Airports Group, is to stand down from his role at the Airports Commission by mutual consent. More information on this update can be found here.

Update 23 November 2012:

The Greater London Authority’s Transport Committee plans to undertake an investigation into airport capacity in the South-East.  The Committee will submit their investigation findings to the Airports Commission once complete.  Details of the investigation, and how to respond to it, can be found here.

Update 2 November 2012:

The Airports Commission website has been set up and is available here.

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