S5E02: Private finance as a catalyst for infrastructure growth: the airport advantage

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Recorded14 Apr 2026

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Airports are under increasing pressure to expand, modernise and deliver more – for passengers, for communities and for the wider economy. But with public funding constrained, how can this level of investment be delivered at pace and scale? As demand for air travel grows and infrastructure comes under strain, private finance is playing a central role – often through partnerships between the public and private sectors. This is reflected in our Rebuilding Britain report, which highlights that unlocking private capital is essential to bridging the UK’s infrastructure gap and enabling complex, large-scale projects to move forward. In this episode, host Toby Sadler is joined by Nick Platts (Managing Director, Luton Rising), Javier Echave Espot (Chief Operating Officer, Heathrow) and Crawford Burden (Managing Director, Aviation, Europe & India, AECOM) to explore how private finance is acting as a catalyst for airport growth in practice. Drawing on insights from Heathrow and Luton Airport, the discussion highlights how investment and a variety of partnership models are enabling expansion and improving performance, while delivering wider value for passengers, communities and the economy. Private finance is about more than capital. It brings the expertise, delivery capability and commercial insight needed to turn ambition into viable, investable projects – and ultimately into infrastructure that works. At AECOM, we support clients across the full project lifecycle – combining advisory, engineering and deep aviation expertise to help shape investment strategies and translate growth into infrastructure that can be delivered and sustained over the long term. Listen to our latest Talking Infrastructure episode over on: https://insights.aecom.com/insights/talking-infrastucture Useful links: Project: London Luton Airport’s expansion: building capacity for the future Project: Hong Kong International Airport 2030 Study Blog: People Spotlight: Meet Patricia Ribó Sörensen - Blog Thought Leadership: Rebuilding Britain: Unlocking growth from the UK’s infrastructure strategy | AECOM Insights Connect with us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/ https://www.instagram.com/aecom/

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