§ Viscount Davidsonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What UK airlines will be charged for air navigation services in 1994.
The Earl of CaithnessThe charges for air navigation services in 1994 are set out in the Civil Aviation (Route Charges for Navigation Services) (Second Amendment) Regulations 1993. A copy of the regulations was laid before the House on 10th December.
It was necessary to revoke the Civil Aviation (Route Charges for Navigation Services) (Amendment) Regulations 1993, laid before the House on 6th December, before they came into force as the result of a very late change by France to their charges. We are happy to say that this last-minute change, as shown in the second amendment to these regulations, was to the benefit of airspace users.
Several of the member states of Eurocontrol have reduced their charges, and we are pleased to say that the United Kingdom's charges will fall by nearly 4 per cent. in £ sterling terms, or 9.5 per cent. in ecu. We know that this will be welcomed by the airlines, and it reflects well on the Civil Aviation Authority's control of their own costs that a reduction is possible at a time when they are investing to meet the airlines' future needs.