The governments aviation strategy document released earlier this month represents the firing of the starting gun on the development of a policy that will “set out the long-term direction” of UK aviation up to and beyond 2050.

The Department for Transport is effectively opening up the debate on a whole range of aviation issues: from the possibility of creating new penalties for drunken and disruptive passengers (TTG, April 12) to ways to increase competition among airlines at some of the UK’s busiest airports, such as Heathrow and Gatwick.

It also starts to address post-Brexit issues – albeit vaguely – such as the UK Border arrangements and what sort of compensation passengers can expect to receive for delays and cancelled flights.

Reading through the 93-page report, it seems clear that the government’s focus is on putting “consumers at the centre” of the new strategy, as well as banging the drum repeatedly for its vision of a “global and connected Britain”.

The six key goals of the strategy are the pledge to “help the aviation industry work for its customers”; ensuring a safe and secure way to travel; building a “global and connected UK”; encouraging competitive markets; supporting growth while tackling emissions; and developing innovation, technology and skills. Here we explore some of the key elements of the aviation strategy.

Consumers

One of the key post-Brexit questions has been around the government’s plans for consumer compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, which is currently covered by the EU 261 “denied boarding” regulation that dictates the amount passengers receive in compensation.

The Department for Transport says that EU 261 “provides strong levels of consumer protection” and promises that the “UK will not fall below current standards of protection when we leave the EU”.

It also wants to improve the current compensation process and may go further by “strengthening or clarifying” the way airlines have to inform passengers about their entitlement to compensation for delays or cancellations.

The government is also to look at how passengers can be “empowered” by receiving all the information they need at every stage of their journey.

Other key elements of the strategy will include finding ways to minimise delays at the UK border, tackling alcohol-related incidents through potential new penalties, and ensuring that passengers with disabilities can fly “as seamlessly as possible” through improved service levels and training for airport and airline staff.

Taxation

The travel industry has pretty much been campaigning to get rid of Air Passenger Duty (APD) since it was first implemented in the mid-1990s. But will Brexit finally mean an end to this tax?

While the government says it will be “exploring the impact of APD on the competitiveness of the UK aviation industry” following Brexit, the report also includes a strong defence of APD, making the argument that if the tax were abolished, “aviation would be relatively undertaxed compared with other goods and services”.

The DfT also points out that VAT is not charged on domestic flights and APD has “not held back passenger growth in recent years”.

More positively, the government says it wants to “hear from industry about how APD could be reformed to support regional airports, as well as other policy objectives of the strategy, such as environmental, growth, competition and connectivity”.

Sustainable growth

With Parliament due to vote on Heathrow’s third runway within the next three months, the government has vowed to create a regulatory environment in which the aviation industry can grow “in the most sustainable way”.

Aviation minister Baroness Sugg said: “This means addressing the noise and air-quality issues experienced by communities, as well as the global effect of carbon emissions.

“We need to provide the right framework that will allow the sector to grow responsibly. New and emerging technology has the potential to help address these challenges and transform the sector.”

To do this, the DfT may look to support research and development of emissions-reducing technology, as well as measures to “ensure the most fuel efficient aircraft are using UK airports”.

Next steps

The government will consult on the document later this year with plans to release detailed policy proposals in a green paper this autumn, followed by the final Aviation Strategy in early 2019.