Airport Masterplan 2035 LOW RES

Masterplan 2035
9.5 As set out in section 5, the need for a strategy to provide
viable infrastructure for the expansion of large scale facilities
like airports and promote sustainable transport through the
planning system, are cornerstones of national and local
policy.
The Need for High Quality Access
9.6 With the demand for air travel increasing and the Airport
forecast to grow, it is vital that transport options to travel to
the Airport continue to be invested in to ensure excellent
connectivity across all modes. Travelling to the Airport is
very time sensitive. Passengers and staff need to be sure
that their choice of mode and the route is reliable and
efficient. There is little slack to accommodate delays or
cancellations. Therefore ensuring that the means of travel
people choose are robust and meet their expectations is
vital for making this part of their journey viable and stress
free. Having a choice is also fundamental to ensure that
the varying needs of passengers are met and there is
an alternative when there are delays associated with a
particular route or mode.
9.7 There is an evidenced link between improved journey
times to an airport and growth in passenger numbers 23 ,
and the subsequent economic benefits this brings, as
identified in section 7. However there are numerous other
ways that improvements to surface access can boost the
economic impact of the Airport. Reduced costs and time
savings can make passengers, businesses, and workers
more productive. The expansion and speeding up of the
transport network can also make new journeys more viable,
broadening the scope of our catchment and therefore the
9.8 The need for good surface access is also vital for inbound
tourists and business travellers. They arrive at the Airport
with a need to travel on to the places they are visiting,
but may be unfamiliar with the area and the transport
network available. Some rent cars but many also use public
transport connections, potentially with a switch in mode
required to reach their final destination, which may be
distant from the Airport. Having high quality connectivity is
important for continuing to attract tourists to use us as their
gateway to the region, and vital if Newcastle Airport is to
be used as an international access point for elsewhere in
the UK.
9.9 The demand for travel to and from the Airport can have
a negative and positive impact on the transport network
which serves it. Additional traffic can add to the load on
the local road network which could lead to congestion, but
conversely increased patronage on public transport routes
can result in improved viability of services. The strategy
identifies constraints which may indicate the need for
investment and the identification of spare capacity which
could accommodate growth. It also allows for consideration
of the impacts of other development around the Airport,
as they can also place significant burden on transport
infrastructure as well as the potential for proportionate
investment.
9.10 It needs to be considered that the Airport can generally only
directly influence required investment and enhancements
on the Airport site itself. The greatest improvements to
access will be driven forward and delivered by external
organisations. We will therefore work closely with our key
The Need for Sustainable Access
9.11 Although there is undoubtedly a need to continue to invest
in a new and improved transport network, the resources to
fund the delivery of improvements and the environmental
capacity to accommodate private vehicle growth in
particular, are finite. The Airport has a densely populated
core catchment centred on the conurbations of the North
East, with Tyne and Wear being particularly well connected,
indicating much potential for increasing the use of public
transport.
9.12 We are committed to trying to make travel to the Airport as
sustainable as possible through increased public transport
patronage, and the strategy sets demanding targets
for this at each review year. This will potentially remove
cars from the road network, lower the energy usage and
carbon output from surface access to the Airport, as well
as improve air quality. The impact of the Strategy could
therefore have much broader positive impacts on society.
9.13 A significant part of the Airport’s large catchment area
is rural and sparsely populated, making travel by public
transport more challenging. This factor, the shift patterns of
many staff, and the value placed on convenience and time
efficiency by passengers, especially when travelling with
luggage; mean that travelling to the Airport by private car
will always be a significant choice. We therefore must also
suitably provide for car based travel, but plan for how it can
be made more efficient and sustainable.
Current Passenger and Staff Modal Split
9.14 An online survey of passengers was undertaken in early
2017, covering a broad demographic and place of origin,
and showed the passenger modal split shown in Figure 21.
This shows that the majority of passengers (53%) travel to
the Airport by private car, with a further 30% using taxis, and
1% travelling by hire car. Collectively this means that 86% of
passengers arrived or departed the Airport by car. Around
14% utilised public transport, with the Metro being by far the
most popular mode.
Figure 21 – Passenger Modal Split 2017
2% 1%
12%
53%
30%
9.15 Numerous reasons were given as to why sustainable modes
weren’t considered for the journey, which included the
convenience of private transport and the lack of options
and time demand for public transport for longer trips.
This in part can be explained by the Airport’s dispersed
regional catchment, with the use private car much greater
for passengers travelling from outside Tyne and Wear.
Figure 22 shows the distribution of passenger home
addressees who responded to the survey.
Figure 22 – Origin of Passenger Survey
Respondents 2017
Glasgow
Stirling
Perth
Dundee
Edinburgh
Carlisle
Lancaster
Preston
Aberdeen
Newcastle
Durham
Middlesbrough
Ripon
Leeds
Wakefield
York
Kingston
upon Hull
9.16 Although it shows the wide dispersion of the Airport’s
passenger base, it also indicates that the greatest
concentration is in Tyne and Wear (69% of respondents
were from NE postcodes) and so there is much potential for
localised initiatives to increase use of sustainable transport
to be effective.
9.17 A survey of staff working on the Airport site was also
undertaken in early 2017 and indicated the following modal
split for commuting.
Figure 23 – Staff Modal Split 2017
1% 2%
4%
7%
85%
people and businesses which can benefit from the Airport’s
global connectivity.
business partners, transport bodies, and the Government to
support the delivery of plans and investment projects which
will ultimately bring positive change to our accessibility.
Private Car 53% Taxi/Uber 30% Metro 12%
Minibus / Private Bus / Coach 2%
Hire Car 1% Public Bus 1% Other 1%
Bangor
Liverpool
Chester
Manchester
Stoke-On-Trent
Sheffield
Nottingham
Lincoln
Car 85% Car Share 7% Metro 4%
Bus 1% Cycle 1% Walk 2%
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Connecting the UK’s Economy: How Better Access to Airport’s can Boost Growth (AOA, 2016)
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