Air Transport Policy

‘Open for Business’ or creating the ‘Great Britain By-Pass’?

Despite government's announcement that Britain was open for business, its lack of an aviation policy, combined with the high levels of aviation taxation, show great potential for driving trade and tourism to other countries.

To date, the only firm policy decisions have been

to cancel the third runway at Heathrow
to refuse permission for additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted

Combined with high aviation taxation, the cumulative effects will be that:-

international and domestic trading and business needs will be deliberately denied the key airport hub infrastructure and capacity it needs to remain competitive
the double taxation of either APD or Per-Plane Tax, AND the levies of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, will be so exorbitant as to deter point to point and transit traffic away from the UK
By default, hub connections will be lost to competing airports in other countries, leading to an export of jobs

Great Britain will be by-passed.

Time is rapidly running out.

The timescale being looked at, in order to determine a forward-looking aviation policy, is lengthy to say the least.

A ‘Scoping Document’ is expected in Spring 2011, which will help determine the shape and content of a formal consultation.

However, the formal consultation is not expected until sometime in 2012.

The findings of that consultation, and policy decisions related to it, are not expected until 2013.

Meanwhile, there is still a huge shortage of airport capacity in South East England. That affects the economy, not just of London and SE England, but the entire UK.

The Mayor of London has recognised the economic threats that are posed, and BAR UK welcomes his contributions to the debate.

Meanwhile, other competing countries, in Europe and the Middle East, are investing in aviation infrastructure so that they, and not the UK, gain from the global economy as it recovers.

BAR UK urges that aviation policy is developed more rapidly than currently announced.

Let’s hope common sense prevails, otherwise ‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail’.