Expansion at Norwich Airport would 'put city on map'

If Norwich Airport was to continue to expand over the next 25 years it could help to put the city "on the map", according to a new report.

The claims come from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) which says that if the airport was to treble in size it would have a notable effect on the city's economy as a whole, the Norwich Evening News reports.

Officials have been studying the possible impact that such building work would have and reported that up to 1,400 jobs would be created as well as vast amounts of investment.

Despite the report, airport staff has said that there are as yet no plans to expand to this extent, with Norwich already welcoming 75,000 travellers through the terminal every year.

Louise Wilkinson, head of marketing at Norwich Airport, told the newspaper: "The current terminal facility is able to cope with two million passengers a year and we currently have no plans to expand beyond that."

The EEDA's report claims that there are currently around 3,460 people directly or indirectly employed through the airport, generating £22.1 million into the region's economy.

Expansion could see these figures increase to 6,700 - with 2,800 of those jobs being in Norfolk alone.