Durham Tees Valley Airport seeks ‘protected’ Heathrow slots
27.05.09
Durham Tees Valley Airport is in talks with senior politicians to hammer out an agreement that would effectively ring fence landing slots for its flights to Heathrow, the Journal reports. The agreement - known as a public service obligation (PSO) - is part of the airport’s plans to secure the route following the cancellation of BMI's popular Teesside to Heathrow service earlier this year.
The loss of the route, which carried 88,000 passengers in 2007, will cost the local business community an estimated £1.4m a year and dealt a severe blow to the airport’s hopes for Heathrow to be ‘a gateway to Tees Valley’. On Friday, airport bosses met North-east Tory Euro MP Martin Callanan and Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers to enlist their support for a PSO.
Ms Villiers is reported to have said it was important to consider a PSO as a means of supporting regional airports and regional airlines, which have been forced out of Heathrow by escalating landing fees. Although Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has said the Government has no power to intervene over landing charges, it is reported that he would in principle also consider a PSO on routes deemed important to a region’s economic development.
Hugh Lang, group director of airport owner Peel Airports, described the talks as ‘extremely positive’ and said the airport’s plans had ‘total support’ from politicians. He said: ‘Our long-term work is geared towards securing slots for regional airlines at Heathrow.'
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