Justine Greening may have delayed the decision on the future of the UK as an aviation hub, but the Transport Secretary has announced plans for a £500 million rail line linking Heathrow with the west.
The travel industry reacted with dismay to the news the government has delayed the results of its consultation on expanding airport capacity in the south-east to the autumn (see online news July 12).
Announcing the delay Greening said that “A separate call for evidence on how to maintain the UK’s international connectivity and hub status will follow later in the year once the industry has had time to consider the measures put forward for consultation today”.
Those measures include:
- £500 million towards a western rail link to Heathrow, which it is claimed will reduce journeys between south Wales and the airport by up to 30 minutes. However the project will be “subject to a satisfactory business case and the agreement of acceptable terms with the Heathrow aviation industry”.
- Further liberalisation of the UK aviation market to encourage foreign airlines to develop routes from airports other than Heathrow.
- Improving efficiency at the border, including a review of the UK’s visa regime, bringing forward the recruitment of 70 additional border staff at Heathrow and working with the US authorities to look at the options for speeding up entry into the US.
- Supporting the introduction of new rules by airport operators to maximise their existing capacity, for example through limiting access to smaller aircraft.
