Contents
Regional News
Industry News
Parliamentary News
House of Commons Questions
Regional News
10 March 2015 – A full Council meeting of the Isles of Scilly Council have increased commercial aviation fees and charges at the isles of Scilly Airport by 10 per cent. The increase in charges is said to be required to ensure the safe operation and long-term viability of the airport.
10 March 2015 – Head of Corporate Responsibility at Gatwick Airport Tom Denton has said that recent changes to flight paths in the area are being reviewed.
11 March 2015 – Gatwick Airport is reportedly promising to cap landing charges for 30 years and cover the main risks of expansion. Airport Chairman Sir Roy McNulty has written to the Airports Commission setting out five promises including a guarantee to keep charges per passenger at £15 plus inflation for 30 years and a pledge to have a new runway operational by 2025 – however the guarantees would only hold if Gatwick were the only airport chosen for a new runway.
12 March 2015 – Bristol Airport has rejected calls to boost tourism by including the city of Bath in its name.
12 March 2015 – Member of Parliament for Chesham and Amersham Cheryl Gillan has questioned whether the expansion of Heathrow Airport could affect her constituency.
13 March 2015 – An online petition by Hounslow Council’s calling for a ‘better not bigger Heathrow’ has attracted 839 signatures.
15 March 2015 – The Leader of Thanet Council, Councillor Iris Johnston, has welcomed a House of Commons Transport Select Committee report which has criticised Kent County Council for a lack of action to help save Manston Airport. The repor said Kent County Council holds responsibility for aviation in the county but, despite passing a motion to support Thanet council in efforts to retain the airport, it failed to do so. The report stated, ‘Kent County Council has the legal and financial resources to assess complex CPO cases. Despite having agreed a motion to support Thanet District Council, it failed to deploy those assets’.
Industry News
6 March 2015 – Following a recent review of Norwich International Airport’s (NIA) controlled airspace (CAS), the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced a reduction in the size of the Class D airspace. Although acknowledging that the Control Zone (CTR) and Control Area (CTA) around Norwich were working well following their implementation in 2012, the CAA has reduced the upper level of both from FL50 (approx 5,000ft) to 4,000ft. As a result, the transition altitude above the CTR and CTA will therefore be raised from 3,000ft to 5,000ft. The change was announced in the CAA’s ‘post implementation review’ of the Norwich CAS. NIA and the CAA are working collaboratively to introduce the revised airspace on 17 September 2015, scheduling it with other initiatives being undertaken by the Airport. NIA will, however, be allowed to request the original upper level be reinstated if they experience an increasing need to hold inbound aircraft at higher levels. The CAA said it was satisfied that the Norwich CAS had been beneficial in protecting aircraft in the instrument approach and initial departure phases of flight. However, a change to the vertical dimension of the CAS is operationally possible, although not to the lateral dimension. Although aircraft that are not radio equipped are excluded from controlled airspace (without prior permission) the impact on the general aviation community of the Norwich CAS has been minimised, with NIA meeting the original approval requirements to facilitate transit of the airspace. The lack of any safety related events since the CAS came into force endorsed this view.
14 March 2015 – The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is carrying out a year-long survey of how UK airports assist people with disabilities. Under European Union regulations passengers with a disability and people with reduced mobility (PRM) are legally entitled to special assistance when travelling by air, which includes help when arriving at and travelling through an airport. The CAA has introduced a new PRM satisfaction survey which will run throughout the year and publish an overview of the findings in early 2016.
Parliament News
9 March 2015 – During a session of the Transport Committee on the work of the Department for Transport (DfT) between 2010-15, MPs heard from, the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary at the DfT. On aviation questioned by Karen Lumley over the submission of the report from the Davies Commission, Mr McLoughlin said that he expected it to be ‘on the desk of the Secretary of State in July or August’. Ms Lumley asked how many years it would take to implement the Commission’s final report.In reply, the Transport Secretary noted that both Chancellor George Osborne and Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls were committed to abiding by the recommendations. Mr McLoughlin hailed the bright future for Manchester Airport and Birmingham Airport.
13 March 2015 – The House of Commons Transport Select Committee have published the report, ‘Smaller Airports’. Launching the report, Committee Chair Louise Ellman said, ‘Smaller airports drive economic growth. But the smaller airports sector—which is vital to people and businesses in the regions—is limited by Air Passenger Duty. Transport Ministers must stand up for smaller airports and make the case to the Treasury that APD squeezes jobs, growth and connectivity’. On double-charging of APD the report warns that the double-charging of APD on domestic return flights incentivises passengers to fly from hub airports in other European countries. And it points out that the proposed devolution of APD to Scotland could place airports in northern England at a serious competitive disadvantage. Louise Ellman commented, ‘We heard about how airports in Northern Ireland have been affected by Air Passenger Duty, where passengers choose to fly from Dublin because aviation taxes are lower. Northern England could experience a similar competitive disadvantage if APD is devolved to Scotland’. On Expansion in the south-east of England the report also examines how smaller airports might benefit from airport expansion. Committee Chair Louise Ellman said, ‘The whole country should share the economic benefits of expanded airport capacity. But that will only happen if new capacity includes new domestic flights to airports outside London. The DfT needs to take a proactive approach and ensure that the regions are connected’. The report explores how the Government can support regional connectivity and calls on the DfT to assess whether some new slots could be ring-fenced to support regional connectivity.
House of Commons Questions
Menzies, M – Support to regional airports promoting use by commercial airlines
9 March 2015
Mark Menzies (Fylde, Labour): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is providing to regional airports to promote the use of such airports by commercial airlines.
Robert Goodwill (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Scarborough and Whitby, Conservative): The Aviation Policy Framework states that the Government would be inclined to support threatened routes to London within State aid regulations. We have therefore made funds available via the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to maintain regional air access to London which is in danger of being lost, through Public Service Obligations (PSOs). Last June we announced support for a Dundee-Stansted service for two years; and in October announced a four-year funding deal a service between Newquay and London Gatwick. The Government has broadened the scope of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to allow start-up aid for new routes from regional airports handling fewer than 5 million passengers per year, providing applications meet EU aviation State aid guidelines. Airports and airlines have submitted start-up bids, for services largely intended to commence in 2016, to my Department. We will announce a short list of routes for funding later this month, and announce final funding over the summer.
Dodds, N – Assessment of a takeover of Aer Lingus by IAG on flights to Northern Ireland
10 March 2015
Nigel Dodds (Belfast North, Democratic Unionist): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of a takeover of Aer Lingus by IAG on slots at Heathrow Airport for flights to Northern Ireland.
Robert Goodwill: No assessment has been made to assess the potential effects of a takeover of Aer Lingus by IAG on slots at Heathrow Airport for flights to Northern Ireland. EU Regulations govern the allocation, transfer and exchange of slots at Heathrow and other slot co-ordinated airports in the UK. The purpose of the EU Slot Regulations is to support the operation of a single market for aviation by seeking to ensure airlines have fair and equal access to airports across the EU through the application of independent, non-discriminatory and transparent slot allocation procedures. The Regulations stipulate that the actual process of slot allocation is undertaken entirely independently of the Government, the UK Civil Aviation Authority or other parties. In circumstances where vital air connectivity would be lost, EU law does provide some limited scope to protect regional air services by allowing Member States to establish public service obligations (PSOs) to protect air services to airports serving a peripheral or development region, or on thin routes considered vital for a region’s economic and social development. Where a PSO has been approved, this would permit slots to be ring-fenced at a London airport. There is no other mechanism for the Government to intervene in the allocation of slots at London airports. As part of the 2013 Spending Round the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced that £20million would be made available over the two years 2014-15 and 2015-16 through a Regional Air Connectivity Fund to maintain regional air access to London through the establishment of PSOs where there was the probability that an existing air service would be lost. The 2014 Budget announced a doubling of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to maintain existing connectivity to London.
Bradshaw, B – Government record on tackling air pollution
12 March 2015
Ben Bradshaw (Exeter, Labour): If the Government’s record in tackling lethal air pollution is as good as the Under-Secretary, the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson), claimed earlier, why is Britain facing unprecedented fines and legal action in the European courts for failing on every single air quality measure?
Dan Rogerson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, North Cornwall, Liberal Democrat): I am happy that the right hon. Gentleman is focusing attention on this. As he will no doubt be aware, one of the key factors is transport fuels, especially diesel, and the failure of vehicles to meet in real-world conditions what was shown by testing when they were approved for use. We must make improvements at the European level on vehicles standards and testing. We also make funds available to local authorities to help them take measures locally to deal with air quality. It is a crucial issue.
SASIG ParliamentaryNews Bulletin 9 March – 15 March
SASIG RegionalIndustryNews Bulletin 9 March – 15 March
The Parliamentary information in this Bulletin is sourced from De Havilland Information Services plc .