Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the effectiveness of the use of airport capacity at regional airports.

The UK’s airports are either owned and operated by commercial private sector companies, or are public/private partnerships which operate commercially. It is for airports’ owners and operators to make the business decisions to invest in strategies to develop their capacity. Airports that wish to invest in new infrastructure will need to submit applications to the relevant planning authority for consideration.

The Government is also developing a new, long-term Aviation Strategy to 2050 and beyond which aims to achieve a safe, secure and sustainable aviation sector that meets the needs of consumers and of a global, outward-looking Britain.