A FURTHER 8,000 jobs are to be created in the Midlands as Birmingham Airport expands to cope with increased demand from around the globe. On a visit to the complex, which is shortly to have its runway extended, Prime Minister David Cameron was told 4,000 jobs will created at the airport and a further 4,000 across the supply chain by 2020.

Mr Cameron said: “The announcement of 8,000 jobs from Birmingham Airport is more great news in a week when we are cutting tax for 26million hard-working people and taking more than three million people out of income tax altogether. These are two significant announcements which will help give people financial security for the future.”

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s chief executive, added: “Receiving this endorsement from the Prime Minister as our runway extension nears completion is fantastic for everyone involved in the project. Birmingham is recognised as an airport that is delivering real growth and supporting thousands of new jobs. The main driver for this growth is the runway extension. By 2020, based on today’s demand, Birmingham Airport is forecast to handle 15 million passengers a year, an increase of six million. This passenger growth will generate an additional 4,000 jobs on-site and a further 4,000 in the immediate supply chain.”

As a sign of confidence in the expanded airport, an announcement was made in March that flights between Beijing and Birmingham, operated by China Southern Airlines, will begin this summer.