The trade association for UK freight forwarders and logistics service providers has welcomed the Airports Commission’s decision not to include the inner Thames estuary airport proposal in its shortlist of options for providing new airport capacity by 2030.

The British International Freight Association’s (BIFA) director general, Robert Keen, commented: “BIFA’s members hope that today’s decision will allow the commission to focus on the three most appropriate and sustainable solutions in the lead up to its final report in the summer of 2015.

“In the lead up to that final report, BIFA will continue to submit our thoughts to the Commission relative to the constraints imposed by capacity limitations, UK global connectivity, the importance of air freight and the key facilitative role played by the freight forwarder.

“We can only hope that after the general election in May 2015, the welter of evidence as presented will be such that politicians will give the green light and adopt these recommendations in full and finally get things started on a much overdue expansion of UK aviation hub capacity.”