UK: Aviation plan puts Heathrow at heart of post-Brexit growth

Britain’s strategy for boosting the aviation sector will seek to enhance connectivity as it quits the EU, tighten noise and pollution curbs, tap new anti-terrorist technologies and improve the travel experience with everything from personal baggage collection to smoother border controls. The plan would also seek to safeguard Britain’s aerospace manufacturing base, advance the development of a homegrown space industry and encourage new developments such as drones and personal “flying taxis” while maintaining a rigorous regulatory regime, according to a call for evidence issued by the Department for Transport Friday. At the heart of the strategy, intended to guide policy making to 2050 and beyond, is a commitment to build a GBP16b-pound third runway at London Heathrow airport. The study will also consider how best to use spare capacity at other hubs before the new strip opens in 2030, especially as Britain seeks to safeguard and extend air links before quitting the EU. Also under consideration is the impact of Britain’s air-passenger tax on competition, whether the system for allocating operating slots at busy airports might be improved, and if current rules on state aid are “correctly balanced.”<br/>