The future of UK regional airports received a boost yesterday as a lobby group gave evidence to a government select committee.
The Regional and Business Airports Group (RABA) told MPs that regional airports create jobs and bring “economic prosperity” to regions of the UK.
The House of Commons transport select committee discussed topics including government support for smaller airports, air passenger duty and surface access links.
It was hearing evidence on the importance of smaller airports to regional economies.
Giving evidence was RABA chairman John Spooner who praised the part smaller airports play in connecting communities and urged the committee to do more to help secure access to London’s main airports.
“It's very encouraging to see that the committee has recognised the vital importance of regional airports to bringing economic prosperity and social benefit to the regions of the UK,” he said.
“The questions they asked showed that they understood the challenges that regional aviation and smaller airports face every day and gave the impression that they want to help.
“It was particularly encouraging that the select committee appeared to recognise the multitude of social and economic roles performed by the UK's smaller regional airports not just in connecting the regions to the capital and to themselves but also enabling ambulance and transplant flights, helicopter search and rescue and oil and gas field support services, aircrew, flight and engineering training, aircraft maintenance and a whole host of other activities.
Spooner added: “These activities provide valuable skilled and unskilled employment opportunities often completely unconnected with aviation which make use of the perfectly located sites of many of our airports and airfields.”
In October, the Airport Operators Association urged the government to do to help smaller airports following the closure of Blackpool airport.