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LCCI Reasserts Importance of Luton Airport Expansion for UK Prosperity

Tuesday 1 April 2025 

Today the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has again called on the government to approve London Luton Airport’s Development Consent Order (DCO) in order to expand London Luton Airport.

The reassertion of support follows an open letter signed by LCCI, Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and 139 businesses addressed to both the Chancellor and the Business Secretary in December. 

The expansion of London Luton Airport will deliver significant economic benefits to London and the national economy. By granting the DCO, Luton Airport’s expansion will add up to 11,000 new, high-quality and well-paid jobs at the airport and in the supply chain across the region. It will help to contribute up to £1.3bn in additional GDP across the three counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire and £1.5bn nationally. The airport, being wholly-eowned for community benefit, is also the UK’s most socially impactful airport, having given nearly £200m to local charities and community organisations over the past 25 years. It is also pioneering a uniquely sustainable approach via its Green Controlled Growth framework, some of the most far-reaching measures ever put forward by a UK airport to minimise the environmental impacts of expansion.

Luton is located at the heart of the Golden Triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge, and the Government has committed to unlocking the full potential of the Ox-Cam growth corridor to cement its status as a world-leading science hub. Approval of London Luton Airport’s DCO application will help support the delivery of other major regional projects, such as the East West Railway line and the proposed Universal Studios theme park near Bedford.

According to data from LCCI, four in five London business decision-makers agree that air connectivity is important to London’s global competitiveness (83%), international trade (82%), the London economy overall (82%) and building and maintaining international business connections (79%).

LCCI strongly believes that growth requires new infrastructure and new opportunities for businesses to expand their workforce, trade routes and invest in enlarging their operations. If the government are to reach their objectives to provide good jobs and grow the national economy, airport expansion such as that being proposed for Luton is essential. 

Karim Fatehi OBE, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said:

“Economic growth and London’s global competitiveness depend on continued investment in the capital’s transport network. The aviation sector is a cornerstone of job creation, investment and overall economic expansion.

“London Luton Airport is a vital asset for businesses across the UK. Approving Luton Airport’s DCO would unlock thousands of new jobs and generate billions in additional GDP, strengthen the economy and ensure long term prosperity.”

ENDS