Southampton Airport, located in the Borough of Eastleigh and opened in 1994 by the Duke of York, faces a battle for survival unless its runway is extended, according to Flick Drummond, Conservative MP for the Meon Valley.
Proposals to extend the runway by 164 metres have been rejected by environmental activists, but developers argue the extension is needed now more than ever to save Southampton jobs from the devastating double hit to business of the coronavirus outbreak, which has seen the international airport virtually come to a standstill, and the collapse of Flybe.
If proposals are approved, passenger traffic going through the airport could over double, and a second consultation is scheduled to be held before any final decision is made. The scheme would introduce an extra 400 jobs to the local economy, as well as offering an economic benefit of £400 million in the next seventeen years.
