UK: Regional airports fear for the future as Covid-19 grounds flights

The UK government’s offer of “last resort” support to the aviation industry undermines its commitment to regional connectivity, according to airport groups who say they are suffering heavily from a sharp drop in passenger numbers because of the coronavirus pandemic. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, last week warned airlines and airports that companies would only receive “bespoke” support from the government after all other financing options have been explored. “The suggestion that government funding is only a last resort is not going to help regional areas sustain their connectivity or objectives that we still hopefully think are important for the country,” said Neil Pakey, chair of the Regional and Business Airports Group, an association for airports with fewer than 3m annual passengers. As smaller airports grapple with the impact of the UK-wide lockdown and international travel bans on passenger numbers, a handful including Teesside in the north east and Newquay in the south west have already shut their doors, remaining open only for emergency services. Pakey said there is an uneven playing field between small and large airports as staff wages and business rates make up a bigger proportion of costs for regional airports. He said there are “sure to be casualties” if support is focused on larger airports which may be deemed more important. “It’s a risk for us,” added Pakey. “Instead of narrowing the gap between the importance of larger airports compared to smaller ones, it’ll widen it.”<br/>