Air Traffic (Hansard, 24 June 1976)

§ Mr. Dell

The first of two consultation documents designed to facilitate discussions with local authorities and other interested organisations about airports policy was published last November. This covered the London area. The second, dealing with regional airports has been published today and I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library and the Vote Office.

This second document provides a wide range of information about the principal airports in England outside the South-East, in Wales and in Scotland and examines the contribution that they might make to the handling of the future growth of air traffic in Great Britain. It takes into account advice from the Civil Aviation Authority on airport development in a number of regions as well as the views received from local authorities, amenity groups and other organisations during the course of the preliminary consultations which followed the decision to abandon the Maplin airport project.

Four main issues appear to the Government to require particular attention: the way in which the regional airports can increase their share of air traffic, taking into account studies that have been carried out on the scope for diverting traffic from the London area; the alternative possibilities for the coherent development of the regional airports in the context of a national strategy; the effects of these on aircraft noise disturbance, planning, employment and access; and the future ownership and financing of the regional airports. The development of airports in Scotland, where somewhat different circumstances prevail, and which are considered separately in the document, is also an issue for consultation.

The document indicates that in general there is no shortage of airport capacity in the regions. It suggests that the 603W natural growth of air traffic at regional airports and the prospect of attracting traffic from the regions which at present uses the London airports might best be encouraged by the concentration of air services at a limited number of airports. It examines a number of alternative ways in which such a policy might affect the development of the regional airports and outlines the possible environmental and other implications of such developments.

Consistent with the assessments for the London airports contained in Part 1 of the consultation document, the noise levels forecast for the regional airports generally suggest a reduction in the period to 1990 in the number of people affected by aircraft noise. However, the reduction is less marked than in the London area, and in a few cases very large increases in traffic over and above forecast growth levels might lead at some airports to some increase in the number of people affected by aircraft noise. With the possibility that a few regional airports might in the next 15 years develop into important airports with a range of international services, the document considers the merits of such airports being owned and operated by the British Airports Authority.

The consultations on this document will be conducted jointly by my Department and the Department of the Environment, and in respect of Scotland and Wales by my Department and the Scottish and Welsh Offices. It is the Government's intention that all those concerned should have an adequate opportunity to express their views on all aspects relevant to the development of airports. It is proposed to allow about six months for the consultations and the Government will take into account the views expressed in the consultations on both this document and Part 1 before putting proposals to Parliament on future airports policy.