HC Deb 05 March 1996 vol 273 cc141-2W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the involvement of UK airports in the process of air service negotiations. [18443]

Mr. Norris

Where a UK airport has an interest in the outcome of air services negotiations, representatives from that airport are involved in the Department's internal briefing meetings where tactics and objectives are reviewed and a negotiating strategy agreed. At those briefing meetings, the Department also considers the case for the airport representatives attending the air services negotiations.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what rights have been negotiated for(a) UK and (b) foreign airlines to initiate new international services for UK regional airports in the last six months; [18445]

(2) which airline services have been unable to operate to UK regional airports as a result of failure to achieve a successful negotiation of traffic rights in the last six months. [18444]

Mr. Norris

The United Kingdom already has a very large number of bilateral agreements with foreign partners which allow the airlines of both sides access to regional airports in both countries. In most cases, it is solely a lack of demand that inhibits the provision of services under these agreements. In the past six months, new rights have been negotiated successively for:

  1. (i) Air Mauritius (Manchester);
  2. (ii) Gulf Air (Manchester and other UK regional airports);
  3. (iii) Air Seychelles (Manchester);
  4. (iv) Pakistan International Airways (any UK regional airport);
  5. (v) El Al (a third ex-gratia Manchester service).

Under the agreements with Mauritius, Bahrain, the Seychelles and Pakistan, UK airlines can serve any UK regional airport. However, the agreement with Israel specifies London as the only UK point for both sides. El Al's Manchester rights have been granted ex-gratia.

The only service which has been unable to operate to a UK regional airport because of a failure to achieve a successful negotiation of traffic rights in the last six months is a service to Jamaica applied for by Air Jamaica.