Walsh blasts Cameron’s dismissal of transfer passengers
British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh has hit out at Tory leader David Cameron’s suggestion that London Heathrow’s transfer passengers bring no economic benefit to the UK.
Walsh told delegates at a conference on sustainable aviation today that the argument showed little understanding of how an international hub like Heathrow worked.
He said: “This argument does not bear examination – and it has been sad to see Bob Ayling, my predecessor-but-one, put his name to it. This suggestion is extremely insulting to the millions of UK residents in the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland who regularly fly to Heathrow to catch connections to distant parts of the globe to win or maintain business and jobs for Britain.â€
He explained that on Heathrow flights to and from Manchester, 75% of passengers were transferring. On services to and from Leeds/Bradford, Newcastle and Tees-side, the proportion was between 55% and 60%.
On flights to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, transfer traffic accounted for nearly half of all passengers.
He added: “Try telling these legions of hard-working men and women that their value to Britain is, as Bob Ayling put it, worth ‘little beyond the price of a cup of tea.â€
He said non-UK residents transferring at Heathrow also made a difference to the UK economy, by maintaining routes from London that otherwise would not be financially viable.
Heathrow operates 110 scheduled long-haul routes – more than three times the total of any other UK airport. Sixty of those routes were not operated from any other UK airport.
Walsh added: “The importance of transfer traffic is obvious. If those 60 routes were viable on the basis of demand from the London area alone, then surely someone would operate them from a cheaper, less congested airport like Gatwick? Or Stansted? Or Luton? But no-one does. Because they are not viable as stand-alone, point-to-point routes.
“The critical financial strength of transfer passengers means that Heathrow can offer a far bigger network of direct, long-haul services for people who want a non-stop journey from London than would otherwise be the case.â€
Walsh also told the conference why he thought runway capacity should be increased.
He said: “The absence of spare runway capacity has caused Heathrow’s global network to shrink from 227 destinations in 1990 to 180 today. This is a cycle of decline that must be reversed.â€
By Dinah Hatch
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026