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Birmingham Airport unveils £2bn expansion plan targeting 30 million passengers as taxi and PHV operators face major surface access consultation
Birmingham Airport has unveiled a £2 billion draft Master Plan targeting approximately 30 million annual passengers by 2041, opening a consultation that could have significant implications for taxi, private hire and airport transfer businesses across the West Midlands.
The airport announced the proposals, setting out plans to expand passenger facilities, improve surface transport connections and make greater use of its existing runway capacity. The strategy covers the next 15 years and is now open for public consultation.
The proposed investment represents a substantial increase in capacity. Birmingham handled more than 13.6 million passengers during 2025, according to the airport’s previously published figures. Reaching 30 million would mean accommodating more than twice that annual passenger volume.
The announcement follows new UK Civil Aviation Authority research showing Birmingham has the highest proportion of passengers using taxis, minicabs and Uber among eight major English airports surveyed.
The CAA’s 2025 departing passenger survey, published on 7 October, found that 32.6% of passengers arriving at Birmingham Airport used a taxi, minicab or Uber. That compared with 31.2% at Heathrow and 30.1% at Manchester.
The figures establish the importance of licensed passenger transport to Birmingham’s existing ground transport market. However, they do not establish how many individual taxi journeys took place, because passengers travelling together can share a vehicle.
Birmingham Airport said its proposed £2 billion investment would include significant improvements to surface access and terminal facilities. The first phase of development could begin in 2027, with investment also directed towards baggage facilities and additional aircraft stands.
The airport’s current passenger transport arrangements include traditional black cabs and pre-booked private hire services. Its official website directs customers towards approved booking providers, including Complete Taxi Management UK and Minicabit.
The expansion announcement does not specify changes to taxi rank capacity, private hire collection points, waiting facilities, access charges or commercial agreements with transport providers.
Nevertheless, the proposed increase in passenger capacity creates a significant long-term consideration for operators providing airport transfers. Greater passenger volumes could support additional demand for licensed transport, although the eventual impact would depend on passenger behaviour, public transport improvements and the share of journeys captured by taxis and private hire vehicles.
The airport’s strategy places particular emphasis on improving transport connections. Changes to rail, bus and road access could influence how passengers choose to reach the terminal, making the final surface access arrangements commercially important to taxi and private hire businesses.
The consultation runs until 4 December 2026. Birmingham Airport has scheduled 20 public engagement events, beginning on 16 October at Fentham Hall in Hampton-in-Arden. Further events will take place across the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Walsall.
Airport chief executive Nick Barton said the proposed investment would support passenger growth and regional connectivity, while warning that delivery depends on a stable taxation and regulatory environment.
The airport has also linked its plans to wider economic development, estimating that the proposed expansion could generate an additional £3.6 billion in gross value added and support more than 50,000 jobs. Those figures are forecasts associated with the proposed development rather than economic benefits already delivered.
Nick Barton, Chief Executive Officer at Birmingham Airport Limited, said: “Birmingham Airport is the Midland's principal international Airport already facilitating and supporting trade, tourism, investment and employment in the region. As Birmingham is the UK’s second city, our future plans will help secure ongoing growth in the region, benefiting more people and businesses in the West Midlands with new jobs, better transport links and enhanced connectivity.
“The £2bn proposed investment is unprecedented at Birmingham Airport and will take our airport close to 30m passengers. This level of ambition sends a strong signal of support and confidence in our airport and wider region. We have a laser light focus on delivering sustainable growth that supports regional prosperity, while responding responsibly to the environmental challenges. This Master Plan will enable us to deliver on that ambition and ensure we are ready for the future.
“However, the delivery of this plan is reliant on a fair and stable taxation environment. It is a normal expectation that investments generate returns. This draft Master Plan comes at the same time where the airport is faced with increasing running costs from employment, energy and taxes. This planned growth over a 15-year period details the length of investment cycles at airports and unless tax and regulatory environments are made more favourable and stable for major infrastructure investment, they may not materialise. Nor will the growth in the UK we all so badly need, in order to deliver our country’s potential.”
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: "We’re backing our aviation sector to continue growing, right across the country.
“Birmingham Airport’s Masterplan will be a massive boost to the West Midlands, unlocking investment and creating 50,000 well-paid local jobs to get people into employment.
"From the Midlands to the North and beyond, we're backing airport expansion that drives prosperity in every corner of Britain, whilst delivering cleaner flights with over £219 million invested in green fuels.”
