Transport for the North’s (TfN) policy position for International Connectivity and Aviation outlines the extensive opportunities to ‘level up’ the North and to grow the economy through optimising the use of our ports and airports. It’s a policy position that has been developed in collaboration with our local partners, academia and key stakeholders.
Our latest position builds on our early international connectivity policy development which considered the importance in aviation and shipping to transform economic performance in the North while also closing the productivity gap with other parts of UK.
Now, with the publication of our new International Connectivity and Aviation policy position we have refreshed our evidence base, accounted for a greater focus on decarbonisation and considered the changing policy landscape following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our research shows over 40 million passengers travelled through the North’s airports in 2019, whilst over 140 million tonnes of cargo passed through the region’s seaports in 2020.
This reaffirms these international gateways as key economic enablers for both the region and the wider UK, boosting productivity and providing direct jobs across the North and within the wider supply chain. In the North West alone, the aviation sector supported 86,000 jobs.
However, there remains opportunity for the North to go further in rebalancing growth across the whole country , with only two in five Northern exports currently leaving Northern ports.
TfN believes that through maximising the full potential of the North’s ports and airports and for the region to be an early mover in supporting aviation decarbonisation, we can capitalise on the significant regional economic growth opportunities presented by international connectivity and aviation.
For the North, it remains important to harness the potential of our international gateways as economic hubs and enablers for growth, aligning with the recommendations of our Freight and Logistics Strategy. Therefore, the North must capitalise on growth in business infrastructure and jobs, whilst also considering the opportunities presented by the North’s designated Freeports sites.
There is also the opportunity for the North’s freight market can capitalise on the overcrowded South Coast ports and encourage further freight growth on Northern ports on both the Eastern and Western coasts.
To support our vision for international connectivity in the North, high-quality and efficient surface access to Northern gateways is critical to allow businesses access to international markets and linking economic clusters across the region. This will ensure the North remains economically competitive whilst prioritising sustainable surface access through low carbon, integrated modes.
To realise this, both investment in strategic infrastructure including Northern Powerhouse Rail, HS2 and rail electrification into major ports and in localised transport schemes at international gateways are required and should be delivered through both public and private actors, dependent on the nature of the scheme.
TfN is, in general, supportive of the Government’s measures set out in its Jet Zero Strategy and the opportunity for the North to be an early mover in supporting aviation decarbonisation should be maximised. Investment in innovative technologies such as zero emission aircraft, sustainable aviation fuel and liquefied green hydrogen is needed quickly if we are to reach the UK’s target for net-zero aviation by 2050.
TfN’s agreed approach to aviation decarbonisation has been developed following the commitments made within of our Decarbonisation Strategy and has resulted in the development of our proposed approach for aviation decarbonisation, provided as an appendix to our policy position.
It is our ambition to position the North as a leader and centre of excellence for the development of zero emission aircraft through collaboration with partners, academic and local businesses. We also aim to position the North as a fore-runner in both sustainable aviation fuel production and hydrogen production.
Through a proactive approach to aviation decarbonisation the North can capitalise on the opportunities presented by ever-evolving and innovative technologies. Technology will play an essential part in reducing aviation emissions in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee in their 6th Carbon Budget. Meanwhile our Policy Position highlights the role that managing aviation trip demand may need to play in reducing emissions in the short and medium term. It also provides resilience should not all technological options fully deliver the emissions reductions needed.
Through the publication of our International Connectivity and Aviation Policy Position, TfN will coordinate and influence key priorities and projects for the North’s aviation and maritime sectors, embedding the views of local partners, academia and stakeholders in the industry.
Through our collaborative approach, this will ensure our strategic direction is reflective of our partners and stakeholders, and enables TfN to influence national policy direction for international connectivity and infrastructure investment in a way that ensures the opportunities for the North are maximised.
Within our role, we will draw upon recommendations and evidence from several key workstreams that can support local partners and wider stakeholders.
We will utilise the recommendations set out in our Decarbonisation Strategy and Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure Framework to consider further opportunities for the use of hydrogen and electric fuel sources within transport, establishing relationships with private sector stakeholders and maintaining a focus on decarbonising surface access to airports.
We will align our priorities for international connectivity with the recommendations set out in our Freight and Logistics Strategy in facilitating and developing partnerships to achieve port-to-port zero-carbon multimodal corridors and capitalising on the opportunities presented by the North’s Freeports sites.
We will also consider opportunities within the Connected Mobility Strategy for multi-modal, integrated ticketing that can support international connectivity, as well as supporting the sustainable growth of the North’s Visitor Economy as set out in our Visitor Economy and Transport Study.