Willie Walsh: Don't underestimate value of transfer passengers

It is fashionable to knock Heathrow on the grounds that it is over-reliant on transfer passengers who allegedly bring no economic benefit to London or the UK. David Cameron said it. Yesterday, London First followed him. Even a predecessor of mine, Bob Ayling, has voiced the same opinion.

All should know better. People who fly into Heathrow to take another flight straight out perform a huge service for Britain's economy and Londoners.

Think about this. Why is it that airlines fly plenty of European routes from all London's five airports - but only Heathrow offers a good choice of long-haul destinations?

The reason is transfer passengers. People changing planes make up a third of Heathrow's customers - and their business is what makes many routes financially viable. If transfer passengers disappeared, as Mr Cameron & co seem to want, all those routes would go with them. On other routes, frequency of services would fall. The biggest losers would be Londoners.

Want to get to China? Sorry, you'll have to take an indirect flight via Frankfurt. Off to India? Best bet could be via Dubai. That early flight you liked to New York? Scrapped - not enough demand. For London businesses, it would mean extra costs - and maybe thoughts of relocation.

And let's not forget the contribution made by UK-based transfer passengers. There are millions of residents in the North, Scotland and Northern Ireland who regularly fly to Heathrow to catch connections to distant parts of the globe to win business and jobs for Britain.

On Heathrow flights to and from Scotland, nearly half of all passengers are transferring. On flights to Leeds/ Bradford, the proportion is 60 per cent; to Manchester, it's 75 per cent. How insulting for these industrious legions to be told their economic value to the country is "little beyond the price of a cup of tea".

Hub airports on the Continent all make similar, or greater use of transfer passengers. They also invest in runway capacity.

It is high time Heathrow caught up.