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UK to develop new aviation strategy to remove barriers to trade

THE UK government has decided to develop a new aviation strategy to "help shape the future of the aviation industry to 2050 and beyond." The new strategy will focus on cargo, airport capacity issues, passenger services and the environment.

Under the theme global connectivity, the government will look at how the UK can improve its global connectivity for freight and passengers as Britain leaves the European Union (EU) and how it can remove barriers to trade, reported London's Air Cargo News.

It will also assess competitive markets, looking at whether existing regulation produces the best outcome for consumers; how to encourage connectivity across UK nations and regions and how to stimulate competition to ensure the consumers have a wide choice of airports, airlines and destinations.

News of the aviation strategy proposal comes after UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced that the UK's recent general election meant that there was a delay in any House of Commons vote on at third runway at Heathrow.

"The timing of the election, in particular the need to re-start a Select Committee inquiry into the draft Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) means we now expect to lay any final NPS in Parliament in the first half of 2018, for a vote in the House of Commons," Mr Grayline was cited as saying in a statement.

The public are being asked to comment on how the aviation sector should respond to a range of "technological, security, environmental and customer service challenges", and to write to (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-new-aviation-strategy-for-the-uk-call-for-evidence).

Commenting on the launch of the aviation strategy study, Mr Grayling said: "Our new aviation strategy will look beyond the new runway at Heathrow and sets out a comprehensive long-term plan for UK aviation. It will support jobs and economic growth across the whole of the UK."

The consultation, which will run throughout 2017 and 2018, was welcomed by the UK's Freight Transport Association (FTA).

FTA's head of air cargo policy, Alex Veitch, said: "The document is refreshingly transparent about the scale of the challenge to improve the position of air freight and we look forward to working with Government to find ways to improve air cargo trade.

"The other top priority is dealing with the implications of Brexit, particularly air services agreements, and we are pleased to see that this is already a priority for ministers."