An airline industry leader has welcomed government plans to develop a firm aviation policy, but warns it may not come fast enough for Britain’s already ailing airlines.
Mike Carrivick, CEO of the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR), said there is a “huge policy vacuum” with regard to aviation in the UK.
“The decision to ban new runway capacity in south east England requires a policy that sets out alternative government objectives and strategies; right now there is none,” he said.
Carrivick’s comments followed discussion of a new UK aviation policy by Philip Hammond, secretary of state for transport, at the Airport Operators’ Association’s annual conference earlier this week.
Hammond said: “I recognise the need for a policy framework which supports economic growth and protects Heathrow’s status as a global hub as well as addressing aviation’s environmental impacts, and it is my intention to develop such a policy framework over the next year or so.
“And I recognise that we need a policy not only to address the situation we face now, but to be able to look ahead to potential technological changes that will affect aviation’s future environmental impacts – both local and global.”
At the conference, he announced the Department for Transport is planning to issue a scoping document on aviation in the New Year, to be followed by “dialogue with a range of stakeholders”.
A draft policy is unlikely to be published before 2012, however.
While BAR’s Carrivick welcomed the intention to devise a new policy, he expressed “serious concerns” about the planned time scales, which he said “do nothing to address the urgency of the situation”.
He said: “By the time that this consultation is planned to be published, responded to and decisions made, it could take another three years.
“Meanwhile, airlines are already taking a hard look at how difficult it can be to trade in the UK and are assessing alternative plans.”
As ABTN reported earlier this month, Air Asia X is threatening to move UK services to continental Europe because of government taxes on air fares.
Carrivick said another airline is also “reviewing its commitment to the UK since it is unable to get all the slots it needs for a viable service to Heathrow”.
He added: “This is bad for UK plc and demonstrates why BAR UK calls for a speedier policy-making process.”