Airlines UK welcomes minister

Aviation minister Baroness Sugg assured the industry in a speech at the Airlines UK annual dinner last week of continuing support from the government as she discussed tackling Brexit, airspace modernisation and Heathrow expansion.

She concluded her wide-ranging address by saying: “If there is one message I’d like you to take home this evening, it is that this is a government – and a minister – on your side.”

Baroness Sugg noted there had been “major advances” in aviation over the past year including the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS), which had brought up the issue of airport charges at an expanded Heathrow.

She repeated that transport secretary Chris Grayling had been clear charges should be kept close to 2016 levels and welcomed Heathrow’s work toward this goal and the ongoing discussions between airlines and the airport.

On Brexit, the minister, introduced by Airlines UK chair Jane Middleton, was optimistic for aviation, noting there had been progress on several fronts toward the common goal of continued growth in routes and flights “for the benefit of passengers and the industry”.

She added: “My department is working to achieve post-Brexit arrangements that maximise operational and commercial flexibility for airlines, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations.”

http://airlinesuk.org

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport

Index/Home page
 

OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum