Stockton South MP Matt Vickers told the Commons: “Executives at Heathrow have recently whacked up landing fees by 37%, showing complete disregard for regional connectivity and killing the viability of the Teesside flight.”
North Antrim MP Ian Paisley added an interim increase had led to steep fare rises on flights to Heathrow. “If I wanted to fly to Northern Ireland right now and made an emergency booking with British Airways, a single flight would cost £375. I could probably fly to anywhere else in Europe for that.”
Paisley said price rises “will cripple connectivity, and I encourage the government to step in”.
Others spoke of staffing issues at Heathrow. The DUP’s Jim Shannon added there was a problem with connectivity between Belfast City airport and Heathrow, “not because the flights are not there but because the staffing is not there”.
He said: “It is trying to recruit, but is unable to do so,” and called on the government to step in.
Transport committee chair Huw Merriman urged Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, to get involved and not leave the setting of landing fees to the CAA. He urged the government to examine Heathrow’s claims it needed to hike fees because of decreased passenger numbers, which airlines claim the airport has underestimated.
He said: “I hear the minister when he says that Heathrow landing charges are a matter for the independent regulator, but can ministers test the numbers? The aviation industry says that the numbers will be much greater than Heathrow is saying. The lower the numbers for Heathrow, the higher the cost and the more justification for increasing the landing charges, which would hold us all back.”
Paisley added: “It is not good enough to say that this is a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority. Government intervention is required because of the strategic and security interests at stake with Union connectivity.”
Merriman said the industry had to learn lessons from the pandemic.
“We must have future-proofing so that if there is another variant of concern, we know how to react without another disproportionate impact on the aviation sector.
“We also need help for the sector to recover. That means more flexibility on staffing, especially security staff, so that they can be vetted and perhaps do some of their training as they go.”
Slough MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi also called for the aviation sector to be future proofed “especially after industry pleas for support during the pandemic were largely ignored by this government”.
