A BUDGET airline is urging ministers to open a former Battle of Britain airfield in London to commercial flights to improve links between the UK capital and two Scottish airports.
Flybe is calling on RAF Northolt's owners to seriously consider its proposal to fly limited domestic routes initially between Prestwick, Inverness and Liverpool and Londonderry.
The small airport, which played a key role in defending Britain's skies in the Second World War, is currently used by Royal Family, government ministers and business people as an alternative to Heathrow and Gatwick. The proposal was not included in Chancellor George Osborne's Spending Review last week.
The airline said the plan would generate an estimated £4million in air passenger duties for the Treasury and £3million in income for the RAF, while providing much-needed additional runway capacity at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
The proposal would see twice daily services from five initial airports, with the airline particularly interested in the Scottish Government owned Ayrshire airport, the Highland capital and the other cities.
It should benefit 300,000 people a year throughout the UK, giving passengers fast access to and from central London and Heathrow, as Flybe said it would consider providing a fast bus link between the airports for connecting passengers.
Saad Hammad, Flybe’s chief executive, said: “Northolt has, for too long, been the preserve of the elite with their private jets. The Government is in danger of turning its back on an opportunity that would benefit hundreds of thousands of people in giving immediate regional air connections to London and beyond through Heathrow’s long-haul network.
“This proposal would raise £7m additional revenue per year for the government at a time when it is making painful fiscal decisions. Opening-up Northolt would provide many of the domestic benefits of additional runway capacity now without any additional noise impact.”
Limited capacity at Heathrow and Gatwick means carriers have been looking for alternatives to serve domestic routes and increase links to under-served destinations in the UK, ahead of a decision on a third runway at Heathrow.
RAF Northolt, 15 miles northwest of London's centreis next to the main A40 route into the city. It has been described by the National Connectivity Taskforce as a “grossly under-utilised national asset”.
It a short walk from South Ruislip underground station, where passengers can quickly travel to central London and 10 miles from Heathrow airport, where travellers can take flights to destinations across the globe.
About two-thirds of flights at Northolt are made by private executive jets, while RAF planes and transport for government ministers and royalty account for the rest.
Flybe said residents close to Northolt would experience less noise disruption because it is planning to use turboprop Q400 aircraft on the proposed new routes, which are quieter than the majority of private jets that currently use the airport.
After a difficult period, which saw Flybe post losses of £3.3million for the six months up to September last year, the airline has soared back into the black after implementing a turnaround plan.
The company announced profits of £22.9million for the same period this year and shares in the company have gained 60 per cent in value over the past six months. Passenger numbers also rose 10.2 per cent to 4.5million in the first half of 2015.
As part of the restructuring Flybe abandoned unprofitable routes and used the extra capacity to increase the frequency of profitable routes, such as Edinburgh to London, which is now served by six flights a day.
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