Aviation Industry

Debate between Karen Lumley and Brian H. Donohoe

Tuesday 15th November 2011 Westminster Hall

[Mr Donohoe]

I take that point on board, but the Minister is drawing a very fine line in that sense, because I would argue that unless there is an increase in the number of runways, the potential for increasing the service all that much is very limited. I think I would be proven correct by asking the views of those in the industry itself. That is the clear answer I get to the point she is making.

There is no doubt that capacity in the south-east is restricted. As I argued earlier, the south-east is where the need for more air transport services is greatest, yet there is less ability to extract more capacity from the existing infrastructure. Heathrow and Gatwick continue to operate at nearly 100% capacity, even with continuing reductions in domestic services.

Looking to the future, in a global and highly competitive industry such as aviation, any demand management measures implemented by the UK Government would have far-reaching consequences for the economy, jobs and our connectivity with the rest of the world.

[Karen Lumley (Redditch) (Con)]

Birmingham International airport, which is near my constituency of Redditch, is running at 40% capacity. With High Speed 2 hopefully coming on-stream soon, does the hon. Gentleman agree that that airport could be used to enhance passenger travel?

[Mr Donohoe]

The difficulty is that passengers will not travel out of London to Birmingham to fly to Schiphol and then fly long haul; the hon. Lady might think that they will, but they will not. The idea that they will do that is just nonsense. What they will do is fly short haul from wherever they happen to be to one of the connections that are readily available in mainland Europe and, it is argued, beyond, rather than doing what she is suggesting. Her suggestion is just not feasible as far as the aviation industry is concerned. In the short term, therefore, methods of leveraging capacity into existing airports need to be agreed, and in the medium term, capacity expansion at regional airports and in the south-east, including a second runway at Gatwick, should be considered.

That brings me to the point made by a Member from over the water in Northern Ireland: the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley), who has now left the Chamber. There is the possibility of a further solution to the problem of internal connections within the UK, which is the use of a runway that is already in existence. That runway, of course, is at Northolt, which is only 4 miles from Heathrow. With a bit of realignment, that runway could take on board most of the domestic air traffic that flows into the south-east. That would allow the slots at Heathrow for long-haul flights, which come at a premium, to be relieved and it would allow passengers from the other regions in the UK to connect at Heathrow itself.

I have looked at this idea in some detail. The CAA has argued that it would be difficult to employ Northolt as an airport, but the difficulty is not insurmountable. Indeed, there are those within the industry who argue that Northolt is part of the solution to the capacity problem. I do not know whether the Government have looked at Northolt at all; if they have, it would be very interesting to know the Minister’s view. For me, at almost a stroke the use of Northolt would mean that a third runway at Heathrow could become available, and it could be connected very simply to the main complex at Heathrow. That is a solution that should perhaps be given more thought.

In the long term, of course, the Government themselves have to decide whether the UK needs a hub airport. If they do and they decide that it will not be Heathrow, significant questions need to be asked, including where the hub airport will be located and when, and what criteria will be used to decide its location.

The current situation is unsustainable. The regions will be deprived. We have already heard about what is going on to the routes between Scotland and Heathrow, and between Northern Ireland and Heathrow. That problem will not go away, because airlines will be more inclined to go from Heathrow long haul, allowing for a far greater payload than would ever be the case with any domestic flight. That issue must be looked at.

In the future, we need to look more seriously at what the competition are doing. I have already said that Frankfurt airport has opened another runway, Schiphol airport has six runways and Charles de Gaulle four. Those airports are catching up quickly with Heathrow and their passenger numbers are growing at enormous rates. Their owners must laugh with glee at the stupid situation that we in the UK find ourselves in regarding our own aviation future.

Aviation is a significant contributor to the UK economy and nobody can argue against that. It is a driver of the wider economy, and it has been a great server of the public and a benefit to society. Although aviation can have an adverse impact on the lives of people living around airports and under flight paths, it can also bring many benefits to local and regional economies in inward investment and jobs. The aviation industry is committed to reducing its local and global environmental impact, but airport expansion—where it is required—is an essential tool for the growth of the UK economy.

A successful UK aviation policy requires a joined-up approach by Government that addresses taxation, infrastructure development and sustainability, to ensure that the aviation industry continues to stimulate economic growth and helps to rebalance the UK economy.

As a footnote, I predict that, if there is not an early indication of a change in policy by this Government, British Airways will be off to Madrid airport, which by that time will be run by the owners of BAA, and UK plc will be left miles behind.