The UK's biggest airports need to continue growing, according to new aviation minister Robert Goodwill.

Speaking at the Airport Operators Association conference yesterday (October 21st), Mr Goodwill said supporting growth was vital to the sector and referred to recent investments at the likes of Manchester, Birmingham and Stansted airports.

Manchester Airport announced a £650 million investment from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, while Stansted is investing £80 million at its terminal building - it has also secured long-term deals with RyanAir and easyJet.

He said: "All these good news stories do not, however, provide the hub capacity we need to grow."

Mr Goodwill stated air transport provides around £11.7 billion into the economy and, when considering the wider aviation industry, this totals to £20.2 billion. The UK aerospace industry was also said to be the second biggest in the world, directly employing 120,000 people.

In terms of exports, air freight was said to be a key part of growth, adding £2.3 billion to the country's gross domestic product.

HS2 is also going to prove beneficial in the future, providing easier and faster links to certain airport stations close to the line.