The petition of residents of the constituency of Blackpool South,
Declares that the Government should consider reform of the Public Service Obligation routes to support regional Airports such as Blackpool.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take into account the concerns of the petitioners and take immediate action to ensure that local airports such as Blackpool are supported.
And the petitioners remain, etc. —[Presented by Scott Benton, Official Report, 12 December 2023; Vol. 742, c. 867.]
[P002886]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Anthony Browne):
I recognise the importance of regional airports such as Blackpool to the areas that they serve. Regional airports serve our local communities, by supporting thousands of jobs in the regions and acting as a gateway to international opportunities, alongside maintaining social and family ties and strengthening the bonds between the four nations. The UK aviation market operates predominately in the private sector. Airports invest in their infrastructure to attract passengers and airlines, while airlines are well placed to deliver services to their customers by responding to demand for different routes.
I am pleased to advise that on 7 December 2023, the Government announced reforms to our public service obligation (PSO) policy as part of our response to the Union connectivity review by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill. We have improved PSO policy to allow PSOs to operate to and from different regions of the UK, rather than just to and from London as was previously the case, supporting our connectivity and levelling-up objectives.
I must stress that PSO policy is designed to support, where needed, routes that have previously been operated commercially, or are now at risk of being lost. PSO policy does not support new routes and is only available to routes that have no viable transport alternatives.
The relevant local authority is responsible for identifying the need for a PSO and presenting its case to the Department for Transport. If my Department considers there to be a need for a PSO on a specific route, the local authority must also hold a full and open tender to select an airline to operate the route on an exclusive basis.
My Department has not received any representations from the local authority concerning a potential PSO route from Blackpool airport. My officials remain available and would be happy to guide the relevant officials through the guidance and the application process.
The Department also continues to consider the ways in which PSOs, alongside other policy measures, could help us to meet our regional connectivity and levelling-up objectives.