Flybe has called on the UK government to stop ignoring the importance of regional connectivity in its aspirations to create a ‘Northern Powerhouse’.
In a speech at the first British Irish Airports Expo at Birmingham’s NEC today, Flybe’s CEO Saad Hammad said the £43 billion HS2 project alone will not be able to fulfil the promises to create powerful economic cities in the north.
He said it will not reach Manchester for another 17 years, so the Regional Air Connectivity Fund that focuses on start-up routes during their initial phases needs to be bigger.
He added that the Fund contributed only £7 million this year to start-up regional routes. “It needs to fund permanent connectivity as well as additional frequency investments on existing regional air routes,” said Hammad.
The Northern Powerhouse is one of chancellor George Osborne’s plans to rebalance the UK economy which he said London currently dominates.
Improved regional connectivity was one of three key aviation issues the Flybe chief executive wants the government to look at. He renewed calls for APD to be scrapped and to accelerate the decision on runway expansion in the south east.
“I believe we, as the voices of the industry, need to continue to lobby government hard to deliver meaningful change not only for the industry – but more importantly for the benefit of the travelling public,” said Hammad.
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