Provincial Airports: Policy (Hansard, 30 November 1988)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Lord Brabazon of Tara)
My Lords, the 1985 Airports Policy White Paper noted that regional airports have a role to play in relieving pressure on the London airports and it expressed the Government's concern to encourage their growth and development. We accordingly provide special borrowing allocations for municipal airports whose expansion is justified; and we continue, both in the EC and in bilateral negotiations, to pursue policies of liberalisation in order to maximise the scope for regional air services.

§ Lord Gainford
My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for that Answer. Since many holidaymakers have to suffer the hassle of crowded airports and then crowded aircraft, what possibility is there of Her Majesty's Government encouraging liaison between travel operators and the airlines on the use of smaller aircraft? Smaller airports could be used, thus relieving congestion both on the ground and in the air traffic around the London area.

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, it is up to the operators to decide whether they can justify services from the regional airports. Many of them are doing so. The regional airports are growing and have grown very strongly over the past few years. Unfortunately, the air traffic control problems affect regional airports as much as the London airports.

§ Baroness Burton of Coventry
My Lords, is the Minister aware that airlines are dismayed and angered by the constant reiteration by Sir Norman Payne that no new runways are necessary in the South-East of England before the next century?
Is he further aware of the belief that BAA is placing shareholders' profits before the public interest'? As that is a serious accusation, will the Minister ask the airlines privately whether what I have said is correct? If it is correct, will the Government, as a matter of urgency, consult the airlines, as an entity, on what they think could and should be done to increase capacity in the whole of the country, in all the regions, as well as in the South-East of England? Finally, is the Minister aware that people are weary of the arrogance of one particular organisation—the BAA—in dominating all these procedures without any protest at all from the Government?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, this Question specifically refers to regional airports; therefore it is 303 not related to the BAA airports in the South of England. However, as the noble Baroness knows, we have asked the Civil Aviation Authority for its advice on airport capacity in the future. We have asked for and expect that advice by July next year. The authority is at present consulting the airlines and the regional airports. No doubt it will come up with its proposals on the basis of that.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the admirable policy of encouraging provincial airports is no substitute, if British civil aviation is to continue to grow and prosper, for increased capacity in the South and East? In advance of receipt of the formal advice of the Civil Aviation Authority, will the Minister at least keep an open mind on this matter?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, of course we shall keep an open mind on the question. As I said, we are expecting advice from the CAA. We asked for it by next July and it will no doubt give us some clues as to what to do.

§ Lord Mason of Barnsley
My Lords, is the Minister aware that tour operators impose a supplement on fares for those who travel abroad from the regional airports? This deters families from travelling from provincial airports and adds to the congestion at Gatwick. For example, a supplement from Manchester to Majorca is between £40 and £50 per person. That is more than £150 per family of four. Apart from that being unfair to the northerners and imposing an extra burden on the provincial airports because it makes it more difficult for them to survive financially, if that deterrent were removed the congestion at Gatwick would be quickly eased.

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I cannot answer for the supplements which the tour operators put on these prices. It is possible that the handling charges at the regional airports are more expensive than those at Gatwick and Heathrow.

Noble Lords
No!

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, some noble Lords say "No", but I dare say they have no figures to give me on the matter. As Manchester is further away from Majorca, there is extra flying time.

§ Lord Taylor of Blackburn
My Lords, may I ask the Minister whether he is aware—

§ Lord Ferrier
My Lords, after the experiences in the recent period of fog, will my noble friend persuade British Rail to improve the railway services to and from Prestwick, which are lamentable? That would quite considerably relieve pressure on Gatwick and Heathrow. Is my noble friend aware that it was long ago planned to move the railway station from its existing site to the airport? When will that happen? Will the Minister persuade the authorities to put on a direct service from Prestwick to Edinburgh? Such a service does not exist at present.

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I am not aware of the situation regarding the rail link to Prestwick. I shall have to look into it and perhaps write to my noble friend. We should be keen to see more flights using Prestwick airport. At the moment it is very underused.

§ Lord Taylor of Blackburn
My Lords, is the Minister aware that many of us in the North, especially in the North-West, get sick and tired of having to come down to Gatwick or Heathrow to take planes going to the Far East and other places, when there is spare capacity at both Manchester and Speke that could deal with a lot of the traffic that is now scheduled to leave Gatwick or Heathrow?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, as I said, there has been a large expansion of services from regional airports. I know that Manchester airport now serves more than 50 overseas destinations. As I said in my original Answer, we continue to attempt to negotiate deals with overseas countries in order to increase that number.

§ Lord Annan
My Lords, is it entirely fair to blame the British Airports Authority for the present situation when it took us 15 years to come to a decision that the third London airport at Stansted would be developed? When it is developed surely that will result in some amelioration in services in the South-East of England?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, the noble Lord is quite right; these things take a long time to settle. In fact they take far too long to settle. When Stansted comes fully on stream in 1991, in its first stage it will be capable of handling eight million passengers a year. That should relieve the situation in the South-East.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, if my noble friend Lord Taylor of Blackburn is correct in that there is already spare capacity at Manchester international airport and Speke, does it not make sense to use that now and relieve some of the pressure in the South-East?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
Yes, my Lords, of course it does. That is why we are keen to encourage flights to Manchester and Liverpool airports. However we cannot force operators to use those airports, if that goes against passengers' will. I remind noble Lords that 75 per cent. of passengers using airports in the South-East emanate from the South-East.

§ Baroness Burton of Coventry
My Lords, is it impossible to instill any sense of urgency into this Government? Is the Minister aware that I know that the CAA has been asked to report next July? I am long ahead of next July; I am dealing with now. I have asked the Minister whether he will consult, as an entity, the airlines. We have the CAA and the BAA. Will the Minister consult with the airlines as regards what they think could and should be done in all the airports around this country? What noble Lords on all sides are saying about the regional airports is correct. Will the Minister take steps to have a look at the matter?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, that is exactly what we have asked the CAA to advise us on. The CAA has a statutory duty to advise us on these matters. As I have said, the CAA will be consulting the airlines. It is through that channel that we will receive the advice.