Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of the grant from the Department for Transport to Aerobility for the Vigilant T1 aircraft.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
A grant of £745,000 was awarded to Aerobility, a registered charity, to support its work to refurbish the Vigilant T1 glider fleet, acquired from the Ministry of Defence. The gliders had been grounded by the Royal Air Force in May 2018. The grant was specifically to cover the costs relating to the refurbishment package, including modifications needed to enable people with physical disabilities to fly the gliders, and for the full refurbishment of eight aircraft, to be retained by Aerobility for its operations.
Expanding Aerobility’s fleet of aircraft will lead to a number of benefits, including, improving access to flight training and flight experiences for those living with physical and mental disabilities. It will also enable Aerobility to offer services at additional locations in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of the UK flight training sector.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
In March 2015 the Government published research that the Department for Transport commissioned from York Aviation entitled “The Economic Value of General Aviation in the UK”. That research contained an estimate of the value of the UK flight training sector being £42m in 2013.
We have commissioned research on what a strategic network of general aviation airfields might look like and this research may review that calculation.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new aerodromes have been built in the last ten years for which data is available.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
In order for an aerodrome to be used for public transport flights or flight training in aircraft above a certain weight, it requires a licence or certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
In the last ten years there have been no newly built aerodromes that meet the criteria that would require a license or certificate to be issued by the CAA. Neither the Government nor the CAA possess information on aerodromes that are neither licensed nor certificated.