HC Deb 06 December 1971 vol 827 cc210-1W
65. Mr. J. H. Osborn

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give a general direction to the Civil Aviation Authority to establish a national airports plan to ensure that a few airports will be intensively used, thereby reducing landing and handling charges.

Mr. Noble

The Authority, whose Chairman, I am glad to be able to say, will be my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter) will formally start its work in April, 1972. There is no power to give it general directions, but Section 33(2) of the Civil Aviation Act, 1971, imposes a duty on the Authority to make recommendations on the requirements for aerodromes in the United Kingdom.

88. Mr. J. H. Osborn

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the civil airports now in use, whether owned by the Civil Airports Authority, or municipally owned, indicating the number of landings and take-offs in each case, turnover, extent of subsidy, and operating profit or loss in each case.

Mr. Noble

The following table lists the civil airports in the United Kingdom owned by local authorities at which air transport movements take place and setting out the required information in each case. Full information on airports owned by the British Airports Authority is provided in the Authority's Annual Report.

FINANCIAL YEAR 1970–71
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Movements (Landing and Take-Offs) Income* Profit/(Loss)* Financial Assistance
£ £ £
Birmingham 48,755 485,136 (303,805) 207,014
Blackpool 59,952 95,032 (56,196)
Bournemouth 52,906 305,142 (70,077) 115,859
Bristol 30,466 272,745 (58,326)
Coventry 35,375 108,587 (42,865)
East Midlands 36,131 285,250 (466,380)
Glamorgan 29,260 141,333 (427,024) 191,638
Glasgow 71,216 1,513,545 (78,135) 314,344
Gloucester/Cheltenham 45,564 98,166 10,117
Leeds/Bradford 38,317 226,053 (151,589)
Liverpool 55,442 365,760 (660,249) 164,517
Luton 55,079 1,462,644 310,841
Manchester 56,950 3,133,353 467,772 89,022
Newcastle 23,650 412,571 (359,226)
Portsmouth 24,264 28,279 (9,404)
Southend 56,094 441,762 33,119
Swansea 14,052 24,566 (69,588)
Tees-Side 27,501 204,555 (167,540)
* The income and profit or loss figures are those supplied by the individual local authorities.
† Financial assistance refers to Government financial assistance. Apart from a capital payment of £16,798 to Birmingham Corporation, figures in this column represent the trading loss incurred by the Department in providing the aerodrome navigation services at the six airports in question. This activity is not reflected in Columns 2 and 3.

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