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Government ready to act for the first time to reserve
slots for domestic flights
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Heathrow expansion expected to strengthen existing
routes and provide new connections with domestic
airports
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new competition on existing routes could lead to lower
prices
The government has confirmed it is prepared to intervene to
reserve slots at Heathrow for flights to airports in nations and
regions around the UK if expansion goes ahead.
Public Service Obligations (PSOs) will be put in place by
the UK government
to protect routes if required, which would also exempt them from
Air Passenger Duty.
It would mark the first time that flights from Heathrow to
regional airports have been safeguarded, offering reassurance to
people living around the UKthat these important links will remain
in place.
PSOs already
exist to protect flights from one city to another but reserving
flights specifically from domestic airports to Heathrow would
ensure direct links to the UK’s hub airport, opening up vital
connections with the rest of the world.
The news follows confirmation that the government wants about 15%
of the new capacity at an expanded Heathrow to be used for
domestic flights. And it comes as the government confirms that
Scotland can expect to benefit from an extra 100 flights a week
to and from Heathrow if a third runway is built.
Extra capacity could not only help secure and expand the number
of existing routes to UK nations and regions but also be
used for new connections.
Aviation Minister said:
“Heathrow is situated in the south-east of England, but the
benefits of expansion will be felt throughout
the UK.
“About 15% of the new capacity will be used for flights to
destinations within the UK or Crown dependencies.
“And now we are going even further by confirming that
the UK government
will act to protect domestic flights from Heathrow for the first
time.”
Routes could also be reserved for specific times to ensure they
deliver services for passengers when they most need them, for
example early morning flights which will cater for businesses.
Further details about the use of PSOs to protect flights
from Heathrow to other specific airports will be set out in the
green paper on the Aviation Strategy later
this year.
Additional capacity at Heathrow is also expected to encourage
competition between airlines, bringing down prices for British
passengers.
easyJet and Flybe have already outlined new routes they would
expect to serve from an expanded Heathrow. easyJet also earlier
this month confirmed that they intend to launch new flights
to UK airports and
introduce competition on existing routes, lowering fares by up to
30%.
And it is not just passengers that could stand to benefit from a
new runway. On an average day Heathrow carries £360 million of
freight, making it the UK’s biggest port by value.
Expanding Heathrow would also bring opportunities for more jobs
and apprenticeships in addition to the economic boost it could
hand businesses and exports. Up to 114,000 local jobs and 5,000
apprenticeships could be created as a result of expansion.
