{"id":92279,"date":"2018-05-24T16:00:06","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T16:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=3ba1d360df171727584c85ed3d69076f"},"modified":"2018-05-24T16:00:06","modified_gmt":"2018-05-24T16:00:06","slug":"speech-address-to-airlines-uk-on-heathrow-engagement-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=92279","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Address to Airlines UK on Heathrow engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Good afternoon everyone \u2013 and welcome.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s great to see so many of you here.<\/p>\n

So thanks for coming along today (24 May 2018).<\/p>\n

Precisely 50 years ago, Harold Wilson\u2019s government set up the Roskill Commission.<\/p>\n

Tasked with finding the best place to build a new 4-runway airport for south-east England.<\/p>\n

They weren\u2019t the first to consider the issue.<\/p>\n

And they certainly weren\u2019t the last.<\/p>\n

Yet half a century later\u2026<\/p>\n

Despite countless consultations, inquiries, commissions, reports and white papers\u2026<\/p>\n

The key question of how we secure our long-term hub capacity in the south-east\u2026<\/p>\n

And maintain London\u2019s position as one of the best connected cities in the world\u2026<\/p>\n

Remains unanswered.<\/p>\n

But today as the government makes its final considerations ahead of a likely vote in Parliament this summer on the new runway at Heathrow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We are closer than ever before to providing that answer\u2026<\/p>\n

And delivering the long-term capacity\u2026<\/p>\n

That passengers need\u2026<\/p>\n

That airlines need\u2026<\/p>\n

That London needs\u2026<\/p>\n

And that the whole country needs.<\/p>\n

I cannot of course pre-empt the government\u2019s final decision.<\/p>\n

That will come after carefully considering all the consultation responses<\/a> and the Transport Committee\u2019s recommendations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But if we do lay a final version of the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS<\/abbr>) for a vote in Parliament, it is vital we build the necessary support.<\/p>\n

The next few weeks are therefore crucial.<\/p>\n

They are the culmination of a massive amount of work.<\/p>\n

Not just by Heathrow, but by government, by the Airports Commission<\/a>, and the wider aviation industry \u2013 over many years.<\/p>\n

The public consultations alone prompted over 80,000 responses.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t continue to build support for the project at this late stage.<\/p>\n

No matter how familiar we are with its benefits\u2026<\/p>\n

It is absolutely vital that we keep articulating the case for the proposed runway\u2026<\/p>\n

Getting our messages across to those who may be unaware of the huge economic implications of this decision.<\/p>\n

Above all, this is a decision that should be taken in the national interest.<\/p>\n

A massive infrastructure scheme that would create tens of thousands of local jobs and apprenticeships.<\/p>\n

And very many more in the wider economy.<\/p>\n

That would increase choice and value, with cheaper fares and fewer delays for passengers.<\/p>\n

And that would boost domestic connections.<\/p>\n

Plugging every region of Britain into the global economy.<\/p>\n

But Parliamentary support is far from a done deal.<\/p>\n

I cannot stress that enough.<\/p>\n

So over the coming days and weeks, we must continue to hammer home our message.<\/p>\n

Why new hub capacity is so important to Britain.<\/p>\n

With Heathrow already losing ground to competitors like Paris, Amsterdam and Dubai.<\/p>\n

And with demand for air travel growing even faster than we thought a few years ago.<\/p>\n

We need to make clear the implications if Heathrow cannot grow.<\/p>\n

For tourism.<\/p>\n

For inward investment.<\/p>\n

And for businesses and jobs.<\/p>\n

So I urge everyone here\u2026<\/p>\n

In the run up to any parliamentary vote this summer, when these issues will be debated at length in the media\u2026<\/p>\n

To give vocal support to the scheme.<\/p>\n

To explain that this is about growing in a responsible and sustainable way\u2026<\/p>\n

In compliance with our climate change and air quality obligations\u2026<\/p>\n

Supported by a world leading package of compensation, and measures to limit the effects on local communities.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a much wider message that Heathrow expansion will send to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n

That modern Britain is open for business.<\/p>\n

That we\u2019re a confident, growing country.<\/p>\n

And that we\u2019re ready to embrace a truly global future post Brexit.<\/p>\n

But although the issue of capacity is at the heart of the debate, it\u2019s important that we continue to make progress on the design and management of the proposed scheme.<\/p>\n

Back in October 2016, I commissioned the Civil Aviation Authority<\/a> (CAA<\/abbr>) to provide me with quarterly advice on how Heathrow was engaging with airlines.<\/p>\n

Also known as the CAA<\/abbr>\u2019s \u201csection 16 commission\u201d.<\/p>\n

Through this formal engagement, Heathrow identified possible savings of up to \u00a32.5 billion.<\/p>\n

Evidence that the process was achieving its main aims.<\/p>\n

But that finished last month.<\/p>\n

So today I can announce that I am recommissioning this formal arrangement.<\/p>\n

The successor to the section 16 commission.<\/p>\n

So if the NPS<\/abbr> proceeds.<\/p>\n

The CAA<\/abbr> will continue to oversee engagement between airlines and Heathrow until a formal planning application is made.<\/p>\n

And once again report back to me on the quality of the discussions.<\/p>\n

With extra independent scrutiny also being given by industry experts.<\/p>\n

This time, I really want to challenge the industry to focus on 4 key areas.<\/p>\n

Costs.<\/p>\n

Consumers.<\/p>\n

Value for money.<\/p>\n

And inclusivity \u2013 so discussions aren\u2019t limited to the same organisations and companies as last time.<\/p>\n

Let me take each of those in turn.<\/p>\n

First, costs.<\/p>\n

It remains one of my fundamental priorities to deliver the ambition I set in 2016 \u2013 to keep airport charges as close as possible to current levels.<\/p>\n

So price increases are not passed on to airlines, and ultimately consumers.<\/p>\n

I welcomed the confirmation that all parties are working towards this ambition.<\/p>\n

The CAA<\/abbr> will continue to report to me on progress towards the shared goal of expansion at the right cost.<\/p>\n

And it has powers to ensure the scheme is fairly priced.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important that airport expansion works for consumers.<\/p>\n

I want the interests of current and future airport users to shape the plans.<\/p>\n

So the CAA<\/abbr> will help champion customers during the discussions\u2026<\/p>\n

Both passengers and freight\u2026<\/p>\n

Reflecting its main statutory duty within the Civil Aviation Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of course we recognise that there\u2019s little point in choosing the cheapest possible option if it is not going to benefit consumers.<\/p>\n

But equally Heathrow\u2019s customers should not pay for a \u2018gold plated\u2019 solution.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I welcomed Heathrow\u2019s search for commercial delivery partners.<\/p>\n

And while this must not delay progress, we should all be open minded to ideas that could benefit the consumer.<\/p>\n

So the expansion of the airport must provide value for money to every party.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ll be looking for evidence of this in the CAA<\/abbr>\u2019s reports.<\/p>\n

One way we can achieve this.<\/p>\n

And encourage competition in the market.<\/p>\n

Is to have more airlines represented during the formal engagement process.<\/p>\n

Previously, discussions just featured carriers holding current slots at Heathrow.<\/p>\n

This time round, we will include new and growing airlines\u2026<\/p>\n

Widening the debate\u2026<\/p>\n

And ensuring that the views of future customers are also reflected.<\/p>\n

Finally, several leading industry figures are reviewing work undertaken so far.<\/p>\n

To keep costs and project management carefully under the spotlight.<\/p>\n

This will help us judge performance and efficiency, and ensure that the any scheme meets the challenges I\u2019ve spoken about today.<\/p>\n

So to sum up.<\/p>\n

A thriving and successful aviation sector is fundamental to our modern economy.<\/p>\n

But our main hub airport is now full.<\/p>\n

And expansion is long overdue.<\/p>\n

I believe that a failure on behalf of government and Parliament to reach a final decision would be an act of national self sabotage.<\/p>\n

If we fail to act this time, who knows when we\u2019ll next get an opportunity?<\/p>\n

How long would we have to wait to get this far again?<\/p>\n

And what message would that send about our ambitions for Britain\u2019s future?<\/p>\n

It is time to settle – once and for all – a debate which governments have been wrestling with for far too long.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s put decades of dithering behind us.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get out there and make the case.<\/p>\n

And deliver for the benefit of the whole country.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

Transport Secretary challenges industry to balance expansion costs<\/a> press notice, 24 May 2018<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The importance and need for continuing communication and support for the proposed runway at Heathrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92279"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=92279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92279\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=92279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=92279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=92279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}