Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer is among industry representatives selected to help cut red tape in the aviation industry.
He and British Air Transport Association chief executive Simon Buck – both leading the lobby against high rates of Air Passenger Duty – are among a group chosen by aviation minister Theresa Villiers.
They have been picked out as ‘sector champions’ to provide expert knowledge during the government’s ‘Red Tape Challenge’ based on the issues they face in their fields.
Around 90 aviation regulations have been identified placed on the Red Tape Challenge website .
Areas for deregulatory consideration include abolishing all non-essential regulatory burdens on the aviation sector in order to unlock private sector-led economic growth.
Villiers said: “This is a chance for everyone to have their say, whether they are a passenger, the owner of an airline or a light aircraft or are just an aviation enthusiast.
“We are determined to scrap any regulations which are disproportionate or obsolete, getting rid of non-essential regulatory burdens on the aviation sector.
“There’s no doubt that good quality regulation can add real value to the competitiveness of the aviation industry while balancing genuine environmental, safety and security concerns.
“But reducing red tape by getting rid of regulations which are unnecessary means we can help UK businesses become more competitive and create more jobs.”
Tanzer said: “Aviation is the lifeblood connecting the UK to the world. Good aviation regulation is essential to a successful and thriving sector that could help to facilitate the growth desperately needed in the UK.
“Businesses within the aviation sector, and the many businesses dependent upon it, have a unique opportunity to identify to government those pieces of regulation which are holding back growth.”
Buck said: “The airline industry faces regulation not just from UK authorities but also from European and global regulators.
“This why we welcome the Red Tape Challenge as a way of identifying and reducing national regulation that may have become unnecessary, burdensome or simply obsolete having been overlaid by international requirements and I am pleased to be involved with this initiative.”
Another sector champion, Rob Siddall, policy director at the Airport Operators Association, said: ”Helping ensure that the UK’s airports operate in the right business climate to flourish is a core activity for the AOA.
“The Red Tape Challenge operates right on that territory, by looking for regulation that’s no longer needed or can be done differently. We’re looking forward to playing our part in it.”
Tim Johnson, director at the Aviation Environment Federation, added: ”Regulation can both promote and impede effective environmental protection.
“Pausing to examine how legislation is working in practice is a valuable opportunity for us to identify if it is still relevant in terms of being practical to implement or promoting environmentally-beneficial outcomes.”