THE UK MUST TAKE a common sense approach to aviation policy or risk getting cut off, according to Alan Peever, head of ground operations at Gatwick airport for British Airways.
Peever said: “Something has to be done at Gatwick. We need to see some common sense from the government. We are getting boxed in compared to the rest of Europe.”
His comments came amid growing concern in the aviation industry that the UK is getting left behind, partly due to a lack of direction from the coalition government. The Department for Transport is planning to issue a scoping document on aviation in the new year, but a concrete policy is unlikely to be put in place in the near future.
Despite recently opening a new home at Gatwick’s North Terminal, the BA boss fears capacity at the airport will soon run out. Peever said Gatwick had enough capacity “for one or two years” but he was concerned the airline will be unable to match its growth targets past 2014. He added that aviation taxes such as APD were “squashing passenger appetites.”