Passengers fall at regional airports by up to 70%; APD blamed
25.06.11
Passenger numbers at regional airports have fallen by up to 70 percent in the last four years according to Civil Aviation Authority statistics, the Telegraph reports. It adds that the figures support claims made by airport operators that Air Passenger Duty (APD) is having a ‘damaging and disproportionate impact’ on regional hubs.
During this time APD has risen by 140 percent on short-haul flights, from £5 to £12, and by up to 325 percent on longer journeys. The Government has been told that further increases in APD, currently being considered by the Treasury, will result in the loss of more regional routes and airport closures.
Among the worst affected airports was Bournemouth. During the first three months of this year it had around 60,000 passengers, compared with more than 200,000 during the same period in 2007. Over the same period, passenger numbers fell by 57 percent at Prestwick Airport, by 58 percent at Robin Hood Airport and by 38 percent at Exeter Airport.
There have also been reductions in the number of travellers using larger regional airports: 28 percent at Newcastle and 23 percent at Glasgow. Belfast International handled about 730,000 passengers between January and March, down from more than one million in that quarter four years ago.
Last week the Government concluded its consultation on the future of APD. One option being considered is a further increase in the rate on short-haul flights in order to facilitate a cut in the rate on long-haul ones. A decision is expected in the autumn, with changes to come into effect next year.
Graeme Mason, planning and corporate affairs director at Newcastle International Airport, told the newspaper that regional airports could not withstand current levels of APD and would not cope with higher rates combined with the likely effects of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The combination would lead to ‘the loss of many more regional air services and the closure of further regional airports.’
Jonathan Bailey, external affairs director at Manchester Airports Group, said recently that he saw ‘no future’ for the UK's smallest airports, blaming high tax and regulatory and security costs, which he said had a greater impact in the regions.
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