Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a phased construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport on new connections to regional airports.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Our airports are national assets and their expansion is a core part of boosting our global connectivity. This in turn will drive economic growth for all parts of this country, connecting our nations and regions to international markets, levelling up our economy and supporting a truly Global Britain.
The Court of Appeal ruled on 27 February that when designating the Airports National Policy Statement, which was backed by Parliament, the previous Government did not take account of the Paris Agreement, non-CO2 emissions and emissions post 2050. We have always been clear that Heathrow expansion is a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change, as well as being privately financed, affordable, and delivered in the best interest of consumers. The Government has taken the decision not to appeal this judgment. The promoters of the scheme will be able to seek permission from the Supreme Court to appeal if they wish.
As part of its judgment, the Court has declared that the Airports National Policy Statement is of no legal effect unless and until the government carries out a review under the Planning Act 2008. The Court’s judgment is complex and requires careful consideration. We will set out our next steps in due course.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Civil Aviation Authority data which shows that the number of domestic aviation routes with more than 1,000 passengers per year has fallen from 228 in 2007 to 188 in 2017.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Aviation in the UK operates in the private sector and it is for airlines to determine which routes they should operate. However, the Aviation 2050 consultation acknowledges the benefits regional airports and connectivity can bring to the regions and seeks views on what further actions government could take to enhance and support these connections. The consultation closes on 20 June.
Where domestic routes have previously been squeezed out of Heathrow over time, expansion of the airport will provide an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen existing domestic connections and deliver new ones.
The Airports National Policy Statement sets a clear expectation that an additional runway at Heathrow will deliver at least 14 domestic routes. We expect many of these connections will be commercially viable. This will ensure that regions are increasingly well connected to the capital and the UK’s biggest airport, supporting new business, tourism and cultural links across the globe.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 5 July 2018, Official Report, column 476, what steps he plans to take to ensure that 15 per cent of slots set aside for regional connections are set in stone.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Maintaining and enhancing domestic connectivity should be one of the key benefits of any expansion at Heathrow. It will ensure new connections, increased frequency and greater competition for domestic routes, so that the whole of the UK benefits from the Government’s decision to support a third runway at Heathrow.
The Government has set a clear expectation that about 15 per cent of slots made available through expansion at Heathrow Airport will be used for domestic flights, and it has identified the tools to make this happen. As part of this, it expects around 100 additional flights per week between Scotland and Heathrow once new capacity is delivered.
If new capacity coupled with the commercial incentives offered by Heathrow does not meet these expectations, then the Government will ring-fence slots at appropriate times of day and provide financial support through exemption from Air Passenger Duty. All of these measures can be delivered through the use of Public Service Obligations.
The Government will put in place Public Service Obligations on an airport-to-airport basis. This new approach is consistent with existing EU regulations, and, for the first time, it will allow the Government to provide protection for flights that are specifically to Heathrow. In addition, the Government will consider the introduction of unfunded Public Service Obligations to Heathrow Airport. This would provide a safeguard for domestic connections, but without direct cost to the taxpayer.
The Government’s approach to domestic connectivity will be set out in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy, to be published towards the end of this year.
Asked by: Emma Reynolds (Labour - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a (a) third runway at Heathrow airport and (b) second runway at Birmingham airport on the economy of (i) Wolverhampton and (ii) the West Midlands.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A Northwest Runway at Heathrow will improve the UK’s connectivity, with more frequent services to important global destinations benefitting passengers and freight-operators across the UK. While Heathrow expansion will help to secure the UK’s status as a global aviation hub, we will also see airports across the country continuing to develop their point-to-point networks.
This conclusion is supported by the analysis which shows that passenger numbers and international flights at airports outside of London are expected to increase by 80 per cent and 71 per cent respectively between 2016 and 2050 with a third runway at Heathrow.
Whilst the Department has not made an assessment of the effect on the local economy in Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, these areas are expected to benefit from the improvement in regional and global connectivity, which is expected to deliver up to £74 billion worth of benefits to passengers and the wider economy.
The Airports Commission found that whilst four out of London’s five main airports are expected to be full within the next ten years, airports outside the South East of England, such as Birmingham, have capacity to grow by increasing utilisation of their existing runway(s).
As the Secretary of State set out in his oral statement on 5 June, any new operational runway at Heathrow is still a number of years away. This is why Government supports airports beyond Heathrow making best use of their existing runways. However, we recognise that the development of airports can have positive and negative effects. We consider that any proposals should be judged on their individual merits by the relevant planning authority, taking careful account of all relevant considerations, particularly economic and environmental.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of expansion at Heathrow airport on airports in the West Midlands.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A Northwest Runway at Heathrow will improve the UK’s connectivity, with more frequent services to important global destinations benefitting passengers and freight-operators across the UK. While Heathrow expansion will help to secure the UK’s status as a global aviation hub, it will also see airports across the country continuing to develop their point-to-point networks.
The Department’s forecasts show that passenger numbers and international flights at non-London airports are expected to increase by 80 per cent and 71 per cent respectively between 2016 and 2050 with a third runway at Heathrow. The Government recognises that all three expansion schemes in the South East are projected to result in regional airports experiencing lower growth in flights than they would have otherwise seen, but strong growth is still expected at non-London airports relative to today.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table 3.7 of the Department for Transport’s Updated Appraisal Report Airport Capacity in the South East and pursuant to his statement to the House of 5 June 2018 on Airports National Policy Statement, Official Report, column 169, what the evidential basis is that the measures in the Airports National Policy Statement would enable regional airports to increase their number of flights.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A Northwest Runway at Heathrow will improve the UK’s connectivity, with more frequent services to important destinations around the world, providing benefits for passengers and freight-operators across the UK. While Heathrow expansion will help to secure the UK’s status as a global aviation hub, we will also see airports across the country continuing to develop their point-to-point networks.
The table referred to shows that passenger numbers at airports outside of London are expected to increase by 80 per cent between 2016 and 2050 with a third runway at Heathrow, with the equivalent increase in flights being 71 per cent. The Government recognises that all three schemes for expansion in the South East are projected to result in regional airports experiencing lower growth in flights than they would have otherwise seen without expansion, but there is still expected to be strong growth at non-London airports relative to today.
Crucially, the Department’s forecasts do not take into account the ability of the scheme promoter and Government to strengthen specific routes, or other measures to enhance regional connectivity. In addition, the modelling does not take account of future commercial strategies that individual airports could employ to take advantage of the opportunities from both growing demand outside of London and the greater connections offered by an expanded Heathrow. Therefore, it is not surprising that Heathrow expansion is supported by a range of UK airports across all parts of the country, including Liverpool-John Lennon, Glasgow and Newquay.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the expansion of Heathrow Airport on the (a) economy of (i) the West Midlands, (ii) Birmingham and (b) sustainability of (A) Birmingham Airport and (B) East Midlands Airport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has undertaken an economic assessment of the effect of a new runway at Heathrow at a national level, taking account of all regions. Businesses from across the UK, including the West Midlands, will benefit as an expanded Heathrow delivers greater connectivity for both passengers and freight, with nearly six million additional trips from passengers outside of London and the South East being made via an expanded Heathrow in 2040.
The Government is clear that while a Northwest Runway at Heathrow will help to secure the UK’s status as a global aviation hub, regional airports will continue to develop their point-to-point networks. The department’s aviation forecasts show that passenger numbers and international flights at airports outside of London are expected to increase by 80 per cent and 71 per cent respectively between 2016 and 2050 with a third runway at Heathrow. These forecasts show demand exists for airports such as Birmingham and East Midlands to continue to grow alongside any expansion in the South East, while individual airport commercial strategies could help them to grow even further.
Lastly, as the Secretary of State set out in his oral statement on 05 June, any new operational runway at Heathrow is still a number of years away. This is why the Government supports airports beyond Heathrow, like Birmingham and East Midlands Airports, making best use of their existing runways. However, the Government recognises that the development of airports can have positive and negative effects, including on noise levels. We consider that any proposals should be judged on their individual merits by the relevant planning authority, taking careful account of all relevant considerations, particularly economic and environmental.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the appropriate level of subsidy required to support connections to regional airports from an expanded Heathrow Airport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is clear that the expansion at Heathrow is not only an opportunity to protect and strengthen existing routes but to secure new domestic routes to the benefit of passengers and business across the UK. The Government expects that the majority of these routes will be viable commercially, as many are today, with support from Heathrow Airport. This support includes discounted charges for domestic passengers, and a £10 million Route Connectivity Fund.
The Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations (PSOs). PSOs provide the opportunity to offer exclusive rights to airlines to operate a route. Where this does not deliver the required level of connectivity, the Government may also offer subsidies to an airline to operate the route, which includes exemption from Air Passenger Duty.
The Government’s approach to domestic connectivity will be set out in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy towards the end of this year, and the extent to which subsidies will be required can only be determined subject to market conditions nearer to the time of new capacity becoming operational.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many slots will be guaranteed for connections to regional airports in the UK as a result of the expansion of Heathrow airport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Secretary of State has a clear ambition for about 15 Per cent of slots made available from a new runway to be used for domestic routes. We expect that the majority of these routes will be commercially viable with support from Heathrow Airport Limited.
Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations. This will include ring fencing appropriately timed slots. Further detail on the Government’s targets and commitments on domestic connectivity will be detailed in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy which will be published towards the end of 2018.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential change in the level of total air traffic movements at (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) London airports, (c) Manchester Airport, (d) Newcastle Airport, (e) Glasgow Airport and (f) throughout the UK as a result of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has fully assessed the impact of expansion in the South East on the UK’s connectivity. As set out in Chapter 3 of the Updated Appraisal Report. The Government is clear that a Northwest Runway at Heathrow will help to secure the UK’s status as a global aviation hub, while regional airports will continue to develop their point-to-point networks.
This conclusion is supported by the analysis which shows that passenger numbers and international flights at airports outside London are expected to increase by 80% and 71% respectively between 2016 and 2050 with a third runway at Heathrow. In addition, passengers from all across the UK are expected to use the connections made available at an expanded Heathrow, with nearly 6 million additional trips from passengers outside London and the South East being made via the airport in 2040.
The expected number of Air Transport Movements at each of the listed airports, both with and without expansion, is given in Annex E (Tables 66 & 67) of the UK Aviation Forecasts 2017 report.