Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill [HL]

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick Excerpts

2nd reading
Tuesday 2nd June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

My Lords, it is a pleasure to participate in this debate. I welcome the Bill and I welcome my noble friend the Minister on the Front Bench. This Bill focuses on supporting the aviation industry and provides much-needed related consumer rights and safeguards.

To come at it from a Northern Ireland perspective, the aviation industry makes a major contribution to the local economy, employment creation and business development there. Some businesses have grown up around Belfast City Airport. In my former constituency of South Down, when I was in the other place, Collins Aerospace, located in Kilkeel, manufactures aircraft seats and other components for the world aerospace industry. That company and its predecessors have done that for generations. Bradfor, based in Rostrevor, some 10 miles away, manufactures the covers for the seats and Thompson Aero Seating, in Lurgan, makes aircraft components for the global market. Air connectivity and the aerospace industry are vital to the economic development of Northern Ireland.

Like my friend the noble Lord, Lord Empey, and other noble Lords from Northern Ireland, I am a weekly user of return flights between Belfast and London. I gently say to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, that if we were restricted to two flights per year, unfortunately we would not be here very often. On those weekly flights, I witness the challenges which face the aviation industry and its consumers, and like the noble Baroness, Lady Thornton, I speak in this debate as a consumer. Such challenges include flight disruptions caused by weather patterns and climate change, late arriving aircrafts and mechanical difficulties at the airport—as I experienced on Sunday evening at Belfast City Airport. Other challenges include inadequate compensation enforcement and accessibility barriers for vulnerable passengers, including disabled persons, as has been referred to by many noble Lords this evening. To the amateur traveller, airlines can cancel flights at short notice without due consideration for the rights of passengers.

I respect the need for consumer and air safety, but consumer rights need to be recognised. The Bill is designed to address this by giving the Government and the Civil Aviation Authority expanded powers to update and enforce passenger rights. This is a welcome step forward. The Bill will promote economic growth and infrastructure, as air connectivity is key to economic growth.

This piece of legislation will enhance aviation safety and will also seek to modernise UK airspace. Around two years ago, I tabled Questions about air traffic control issues at Gatwick and Edinburgh Airports, which had a knock-on effect on flights to and business with Belfast and Northern Ireland. So many flights were cancelled, which caused immense inconvenience to passengers and businesses. At that stage, I met representatives of NATS, who wanted the Government to bring forward measures to improve and modernise UK airspace and largely welcomed the provisions within this piece of proposed legislation.

Like many noble Lords in the Chamber this evening, I have been contacted by NATS, Airlines UK and the British Airline Pilots Association regarding the legislation. It is worth noting that NATS has no concerns about Clauses 4, 5 and 6, or Schedule 2, as it believes that they are sensible changes which support the practical delivery of airspace modernisation and help ensure that the regulatory charging and appeals framework keeps pace with the way the UK airspace is evolving, such as the integration of new airspace users into UK skies. Clause 4 is seen as strengthening the framework for progressing and implementing airspace change proposals, which would help support the delivery of the airspace modernisation strategy and the work of the UK Airspace Design Service, which the Government have asked NATS to lead on.

NATS also believes that Clause 8 on Civil Aviation Authority rule-making could be usefully strengthened to include two additional safeguards: first, clearer consultation and impact assessment and implementation; and, secondly, a statutory rolling rule-making plan. Therefore, I ask my noble friend the Minister: what are the possibilities of government amendments to reflect these sensible safety requirements?

The British Airline Pilots Association is also supportive of the Bill’s objectives to modernise aviation regulation and enable airspace reform. It feels there are several provisions, particularly the delegation of rule-making powers and the delivery of airspace change, that require stronger safeguards around workforce engagement, transparency and strategic planning. In this regard, I ask my noble friend the Minister: what are the possibilities that the Government could accommodate such changes while ensuring that the best-quality safeguards are in place?

Airlines UK welcomes the legislation and the recognition from the Government that the aviation sector is vital to the UK economy, enabling trade, tourism, business and economic growth while supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and underpinning critical national connectivity. It does not believe there is a strong case for additional consumer measures at this time and thinks any legislative updates should focus on improving outcomes by supporting a modern and innovative UK aviation market rather than by adding unnecessary regulatory burdens and costs. I have a certain disagreement with that, but I am sure my noble friend the Minister could provide further clarification. Therefore, what is the position of the Government and the Minister in this regard? Will the Government ensure that the protections for consumers in airspace modernisation in this piece of legislation are sustained?

I believe the provisions in the Bill are constructive and proportionate steps towards delivering a modernised and integrated airspace which is fit for the future. I believe that the environment of the cabins within the aircraft and the wider environment need to be respected, but in terms of the wider environment, we also have to achieve a balance which allows our economy to grow. I welcome the Bill. Undoubtedly, it could be improved in the area of the CAA rule-making framework. Undoubtedly, the aerospace industry makes a major contribution to transportation, connectivity, job creation, tourism and our local economy.