August means airports, and now that air travel has rebounded from the lows during the Covid-19 pandemic to reach levels where globally there are more flights than ever, airports face bigger and bigger tests on their capacity to cope with rising demand.

Airport expansion is often justified by arguing it will lead to economic growth, either at the national or local level. This blog outlines some concepts that can help policymakers think through the potential impacts on local growth.

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28 August 2025

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What works centre for local economic growth

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https://whatworksgrowth.org/insights/can-expanding-airports-help-local-growth-take-off/

This Blog is published under the centre's Urban programme, Neighbourhoods programme.

This publication comes under the following theme: Urban inequality: The role and determinants of urban productivity, Amenities, What determines urban growth and urban decline and what should be the role of policy?