Posts tagged caa

As the debate surrounding airport expansion continues, the CAA has recently urged the Government to commit to a long term aviation policy framework that allows expansion. It is a welcome move from the regulator and one that The Air League wholeheartedly supports.

In Aviation Policy for the Future, the CAA warns that without a long term policy, prices would rise, route choice would drop and the UK economy would suffer. Stopping short of advocating specific solutions, the document does, however, make it perfectly clear that one of the most pressing issues is associated with the capacity crunch due to a lack of infrastructure. Indeed, in the accompanying press note, CAA Chief Executive Andrew Haines notes that ‘as we haven’t built a single runway in the south east of England capable of handling Boeing 747s and Airbus A380s for over 70 years, the difficulty of increasing capacity is obvious.’

Whilst he (and the report itself) might be stating the obvious – advocating positions that The Air League and other aviation organisations have championed for years – the CAA’s robust stance adds significant weight to the case for airport expansion in the south east, particularly as the regulator’s advice is strictly independent.

As outlined in his Autumn statement, George Osborne announced that the Government would be considering ‘all the options – with the exception of a third runway at Heathrow – to maintain theUK’s status as a hub for air transport’. The CAA’s interjection into the debate is well timed and underlines the basic fact that only new infrastructure offers a long-term solution to current capacity constraints.