Flying regionals’ flag

Jun 18 2009 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

MPs representing regional airports all over the country lined up behind Sedgefield’s Phil Wilson yesterday as he called on government to stop them being squeezed out of existence.

Mr Wilson led an almost two-hour debate at Westminster Hall during which he blamed a failure of regulation for bmi’s decision to abandon its Durham Tees Valley/ Heathrow route and for scores of other lost services throughout the UK.

Among those backing him were Stockton North MP Frank Cook who dismissed as “nonsense” claims by ministers that they had no power to intervene in the commercial decisions of airlines.

Mr Wilson, who did not go as far as some in criticising the relationship between the Civil Aviation Authority and Heathrow operator BAA, said the Secretary of State for Transport should be able to bring pressure to bear on the CAA, which in turn should take the Government’s regional economic growth plans into account when determining policy.

He also called for cheaper landing fees at Heathrow for flights from the regions’ airports, which had forced the mass migration of carriers to other European hubs - notably Schiphol and Charles de Gaulle, which between them served more UK regional airports than Heathrow.

“I find it bizarre that UK regional airports rely on international hubs outside the UK to gain access to the outer world,” said Mr Wilson.

He also said applications for public service obligations - a mechanism by which local authorities can choose to subsidise key strategic routes - should be judged on the same basis as in Europe, where 250 essential air links are supported by the taxpayer. One North East, Durham Tees Valley Airport and local authorities are still considering the case for an application for a PSO which could see landing slots at Heathrow ring-fenced for the Tees Valley, but that did not guarantee a carrier for the route, said Mr Wilson. “The irony is if it made commercial sense for them to do it, we would not need a PSO. What we need is political will.”

Appealing to transport minister Sadiq Khan to look again at the Framework for the Economic Regulation of UK Airports - a final draft of which is expected next month - Mr Wilson said: “It’s about more than aviation and airlines; it’s about the future economic growth of our regions and remaining a global player.”

Waiting for a third runway to ease the problem of congestion at Heathrow, which could see a Tees Valley route reinstated, would take too long, he said.