Published today, both reports look at the Airports Commission economic analysis, and both indicate that international transfer passengers only directly boost the economies of other countries.  

If Government advice had been followed, and these passenger benefits discounted from the Commission’s economic appraisal, Gatwick expansion provides the greatest boost to the UK economy as Heathrow’s net economic value falls by £6.5 billion to £5.3 billion, compared to Gatwick’s net value of £9.1 billion. 

Not only would Gatwick generate the highest net economic value, but the Airports Commission’s own analysis shows a significantly better return on investment – with Gatwick expansion scoring a 2.5 cost-benefit ratio (‘High value for money’ according to Government guidelines), compared to 1.3 (‘Low value for money’) for Heathrow.