ONE of our region’s greatest strengths is our trade with the rest of the world, writes James Ramsbotham.

We are truly becoming a global North-East and our businesses from advanced manufacturing, life sciences and digital creative industries - among others – are flying the flag for the region around the world.

The North-East is the only region in the country which exports more than it imports, thanks in part to the excellent international connectivity we currently enjoy through our ports and airports.

Last year, exports worth £310m were flown out of Newcastle Airport alone.

Ten years ago, that figure was just £20m, such is the pace of our export growth.

To allow our economy to continue to grow, our connections need to grow and improve as well – but to do that, we need clarity on a national level.

For our airports, that clarity has been sorely lacking.

On the vital issue of airport expansion in the South-East, decision after decision has been postponed, leaving a vacuum that undermines investment by businesses who cannot plan ahead while we wait for an answer.

The Transport Select Committee published a report urging Government to finally make a decision, saying these delays cannot continue.

At the North East Chamber of Commerce, we wholeheartedly agree and we’re clear what the right choice is.

As part of our aim to build a global North-East, we’re committed to championing Heathrow expansion as the best option for us in the North-East and for the whole of the UK.

There are at least six flights every day from Newcastle to Heathrow, carrying half a million passengers a year.

Half of those passengers, having started their journeys in the North-East, connect to other flights and fly on into the rest of the world.

With Heathrow at capacity, it is the future of these connections that is at risk, both domestically as flights to regional airports compete for landing slots, and internationally as hubs like Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle attract long-haul flights.

The UK needs a competitive international hub airport, allowing us to build on the links we have and reach a wider range of destinations in the future.

This is more than just an issue for the South-East; it’s one which the North-East as a trading region feels acutely and one which holds back the UK economy as a whole.

There can be no more delays.

Government must adopt the recommendations of the Airports Commission and progress the expansion of Heathrow as soon as possible.

James Ramsbotham is chief executive at the North East Chamber of Commerce