{"id":82484,"date":"2017-07-12T14:47:27","date_gmt":"2017-07-12T14:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=e489b4d05c8ef3b67ad36db1d4eb1c24"},"modified":"2017-07-12T14:47:27","modified_gmt":"2017-07-12T14:47:27","slug":"speech-secretary-of-state-for-transport-addresses-the-aviation-club-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=82484","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Secretary of State for Transport addresses the Aviation Club Lunch"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an honour to continue the tradition of Transport Secretaries addressing the Aviation Club Lunch.<\/p>\n

Following Patrick Mcloughlin in 2014<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And Philip Hammond in 2011<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason why, when a Secretary of State for Transport is invited to this occasion, the answer tends to be yes.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just because of the haute cuisine.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s because if you want to speak to the broadest possible cross-section of the aviation community this is the occasion to do it.<\/p>\n

Airlines and airports, yes.<\/p>\n

But also aviation finance houses.<\/p>\n

Aerospace manufacturers, air traffic controllers, air travel agents, freight shippers and aviation consultancies of all kinds.<\/p>\n

And that in itself tells a story.<\/p>\n

Very few countries could convene such a depth of aviation expertise and experience.<\/p>\n

We remain one of the world\u2019s leading aviation nations.<\/p>\n

And that is, in large part, because we are heirs to a great aviation legacy.<\/p>\n

A legacy in which this industry has pioneered new technologies and new business models.<\/p>\n

The UK<\/abbr> was at the forefront of the expansion of international air services in the 1920s.<\/p>\n

In the wake of the Second World War we shaped the international civil aviation framework, and developed the first commercial jets.<\/p>\n

Later, UK<\/abbr> aviation led the way to the liberalisation of the global air travel market and to low cost travel.<\/p>\n

So this industry has made a colossal contribution to this country, and indeed the world.<\/p>\n

And that is something in which we should take pride.<\/p>\n

But we must not take it for granted.<\/p>\n

This industry will thrive into the future only if it continues to focus on its customers, to receive investment, to adapt, and to pioneer new technologies and new business models.<\/p>\n

This afternoon I\u2019d like to set out some of the things we are doing to support the industry, and your customers, as you do just that.<\/p>\n

Heathrow<\/h2>\n

First, let me talk about Heathrow.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks there\u2019s been speculation about why the third runway wasn\u2019t included in the Queen\u2019s Speech<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So let me clear that up.<\/p>\n

The Queen\u2019s Speech sets out the government\u2019s proposed legislation for the session ahead.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s a basic reason why the third runway wasn\u2019t included.<\/p>\n

Not because it\u2019s been dropped.<\/p>\n

Not because Parliament doesn\u2019t support it.<\/p>\n

But simply because getting it built doesn\u2019t require any new primary legislation.<\/p>\n

Our commitment to the third runway is as strong as ever.<\/p>\n

Right now, we are reviewing the many responses to the consultation on the draft Airports National Policy Statement.<\/p>\n

Of course it needs to be done right.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not interested in expansion at any cost.<\/p>\n

But the right scheme at the right price<\/p>\n

We want a plan that keeps landing charges as close as possible to current levels.<\/p>\n

And we would expect passengers\u2019 fares to come down, even after taking into account the cost of construction, thanks to the increased competition a new runway would allow.<\/p>\n

Once the final National Policy Statement has been published, Heathrow will follow the set legal process for obtaining planning permission.<\/p>\n

And there is wide support across Parliament.<\/p>\n

Yes \u2014 because of the new domestic links the runway can provide.<\/p>\n

But also because of what it means for the future of our country.<\/p>\n

Consider that great aviation legacy I was talking about just now.<\/p>\n

It would all too be easy to sit and watch our big airports slide down the international rankings as flights and investment head elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Yet what starts as a slow trickle can quickly become a haemorrhage.<\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t reached that stage yet.<\/p>\n

But to ensure we never do we must progress with our programme to expand Heathrow \u2014 and so provide room for the industry to grow for decades to come.<\/p>\n

Aviation strategy<\/h2>\n

Of course, we also need to make progress in other areas.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 4 years since the government published its aviation policy framework.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most important legacy of that framework is that it set the principles the Davies\u2019 Commission took into account in working up its recommendations.<\/p>\n

But things have moved on.<\/p>\n

So we will shortly publish a new aviation strategy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an opportunity to look at what the government can do for the sector and, above all, its customers.<\/p>\n

It will set the long-term direction for aviation policy to 2050.<\/p>\n

It will look at the challenges facing the industry.<\/p>\n

And the opportunities.<\/p>\n

But its overriding aim will be to put the customer at the centre of aviation policy.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because if this industry is getting customer service right, you\u2019re likely to be getting much else right too.<\/p>\n

So it will be an aviation strategy that puts the customer first.<\/p>\n

But we\u2019re also going to look at:<\/p>\n