Airlines are increasingly worried about their ability to operate effectively from Heathrow, a new survey has revealed.
The Board of Airline Representatives UK (BAR) surveyed its 86 member airlines, which include British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, about taxes and capacity constraints at the London airport.
The threat of Air Passenger Duty (APD) being imposed alongside the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) next year will have a “critical impact on profitability” said nearly half the airlines (46%), with 42% saying it would have a “significant” impact.
Some 86% of airlines said they would look to expand at Heathrow if slots were available, but under the current government policy expansion has been vetoed.
Mike Carrivick, BAR’s CEO, said: “The survey has shown that additional flights that might have been operated to this country are under consideration to go elsewhere.”
Nearly 90% of the carriers said the UK economy is being damaged as a result of the government’s “imposed capacity restrictions” and “excessive taxation”.
Carrivick said BAR would incorporating the survey results in its formal response to the DfT’s scoping document on the future of aviation policy.
“Aviation is vital to the economic prosperity of the UK and another opportunity must not be lost in finally achieving the visionary aviation policy decisions this country urgently needs,” he added.
“It is extremely concerning that any new aviation policy is not expected to be announced until 2013 and yet the issues have been constantly highlighted to the Government and painfully obvious to the industry for years.”