Transport minister Theresa Villiers has suggested regional airports are the solution to the overcrowding of UK’s aviation infrastructure not a new hub in the South East.
She was setting out the government’s aviation strategy in front of industry leaders at an Aviation Times conference in London today (Wednesday January 26).
Villiers said there would be no change to the no-new-runway policy in the South East and there was no intention of considering a new airport.
She gave some encouragement to other UK airports, saying: “Regional airports have the potential to relieve overcrowding in the South East.”
But she said: “At Heathrow the question has been how many more flights can we fit in and less regard has been paid to the passenger experience.
“We need to tilt the balance the other way. The aviation lobby is hung up on the idea that new capacity is the answer to every problem.”
Villiers told delegates that the Civil Aviation Authority would soon have new powers to intervene at airports and stressed the regulator’s primary duty in all areas would be “to promote the interests of passengers”. In the past, the CAA has had to balance the interests of airlines and passengers.
The government will act to cut border queues at airports, improve resilience to bad weather and make security “more passenger friendly”, she said, adding: “The tragic news at Moscow illustrates the continuing threat. We intend to consult soon on proposals to improve security.”
Villiers insisted the government would listen to airlines and suggested the industry could expect help in two areas – support in Europe against the extension of denied boarding compensation to airline passengers affected by incidents such as the ash cloud, and movement towards a single European sky for air traffic control.
She became the first minister to admit a benefit of a single system would be to break the trade union power of air traffic controllers.
Villiers said a single system would “deliver more resilience in face of industrial militancy” around Europe.