Birmingham Airport could take pressure off London Heathrow following the decision to block a third runway at the international hub, it has been claimed.
Officials at the Midlands airport said the base is capable of accommodating a further nine million passengers each year without changing its infrastructure.
Birmingham's surplus capacity comes in sharp contrast to overstretched Heathrow, which currently operates at 99 per cent of maximum capacity.
About half of the British population is less than a two-hour drive from the city, and according to chief executive Paul Kehoe high-speed rail links could bring them still closer. He said a new network would get travellers to central London in as little as 40 minutes.
"We already attract passengers from the home counties who choose the convenience, choice and accessibility of Birmingham over other alternatives," Mr Kehoe said.
He continued: "We have plenty of capacity and, linked to high-speed rail, we are uniquely positioned to not only claw back people from our own region – who make the long journey to Heathrow – but to attract passengers from the overheated south-east."
BAA was last week forced to deny speculation it had abandoned plans for a third Heathrow runway in light of vocal opposition from the Conservative Party.
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