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In the wake of the government’s Airports Commission interim report recommending expansion at Heathrow and Gatwick over plans for a new Thames Estuary airport, Baroness Jo Valentine says that we should make our choice and just get on with it. She is chief executive of London First, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes the views of its membership, made up of the capital’s leading employers in sectors such as financial and business services, property, transport, creative industries, hospitality and retail, as well as tertiary education. For a detailed look what’s being planned for London’s airport expansion (see Runway Success, page 74)

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Not many people have been winners on the journey towards airport expansion. Perhaps one exception, though, has been architects, who are called on to design new runways and hubs every time another airport initiative comes along.

Multiple schemes, commissions and white papers have shown that, whenever architects finish a set of drawings, they can feel safe in the knowledge that a collective failure in political courage should mean their talents are called on again in the near future. With the best will in the world, I hope that particular project pipeline is going to bear less fruit from now on.

The Airports Commission, led by Sir Howard Davies, has published its interim report and stirred up a hornet's nest over where and when we should expand air capacity in the UK. Now London First and its campaigning ally, Let Britain Fly, are on a mission to see one of the designs it shortlisted through to the bitter end.

Of course, the interim report is just the first step to delivery, with the full report not published until the summer of 2015. But that doesn't mean the ball can't start rolling. Firstly, there's Sir Howard's short-term recommendations that the government must act on to make better use of existing capacity.

We welcome the recommendations to improve rail links, particularly to Gatwick, and Stansted, which are poor compared with Heathrow and international rivals. Airlines tell us time and again that local connections to airports are a key factor in where they choose to fly to and from, meaning the Department for Transport and Network Rail must work together to deliver quick, reliable services.

The government has already approved funding to improve Gatwick's train station and work continues on the Thameslink franchise to provide a world-class Gatwick Express service. The Stansted Express meanwhile is in need of investment in additional track to speed up the service and reduce delays.

We are also very pleased that the commission backed our call for the creation of an independent aircraft noise authority ('More flights, less noise'), because the economic argument for having more flights could be lost if we don't win the hearts and minds of people who worry that their lives will be blighted by noise. An independent noise authority would make sure that all airlines fulfil their obligations and give local communities the assurance that someone is looking out for them. It would also give policy makers a source of objective information on which to make their decisions.

But it's the long-term solutions that will make the biggest difference, and it's time political parties of all hues backed this process through to its conclusion. That means manifesto promises to back airport expansion for the good of the nation. It's also now up to those whose plans made it on to the shortlist to work these up so they can be judged on a like-for-like basis and put to public consultation before the next general election.

At London First and Let Britain Fly, we are neither backing a particular solution nor scolding the commission for favouring one project over another. Now is not the time to unravel the purpose of this commission and set the UK back even further. International links have always been one of London's greatest assets and adequate airport runway capacity is critical to the competitive position of London in a global economy. Business leaders believe that demand in London for flights will continue to grow over the next decade, with demand for business flights forecast to grow by 80 per cent to 2030.

If London is to remain globally competitive, new runway capacity in London and the south-east is required to provide direct long-haul flights to business centres and growing economy cities. We face fierce global competition from European rivals that are increasing their air links to new and established markets. Frankfurt Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport have four runways each while Amsterdam Schiphol Airport now has six. Since 1992, Heathrow's capacity has grown 53 per cent, while Frankfurt Airport has grown 84 per cent, Paris Charles de Gaulle 142 per cent and Amsterdam Schiphol 160 per cent. Our lack of capacity threatens to hamper London's success as a global business centre and its ability to spearhead the UK's economic recovery.

So, with due apologies to architects everywhere, for the sake of the wider UK, I hope you won't be called on to design nearly as many new airports in the UK as you have been during the past 40 years or so. But, on the bright side, at least you'll have had plenty of practice when you pitch for business internationally!