21 August 2014
Cabinet Minister without Portfolio Grant Shapps MP said that the Government will soon evaluate whether a strategic network of UK General Aviation airfields is now required in order to protect jobs, training and growth in the sector for the long term. A strong supporter of UK General Aviation, Mr Shapps made his comments during an interview with Flight Training News.
The new announcement will form part of the Government’s response to a General Aviation Challenge Panel Report, which was published at AeroExpo in June 2014. It was pointed out that the lack of a strategic overview of airfields meant that licensed aerodromes are closing at an alarming rate, putting this entire job-creating sector under threat. The report’s authors called on Government Ministers to respond.
Speaking in advance of the Government’s response to the Challenge Panel’s review this Autumn, Shapps said, “There is already a Department for Transport tendering process underway in order to establish the full scale of the contribution made by General Aviation to our economy. We will then carry out an evaluation of the need for a strategic network of General Aviation airfields in order to support more jobs and growth in the UK.”
The commitment is seen as important because, up until now, the survival of GA airfields has been down to local planning conditions. However, one implication arising from the Government’s consideration of a more strategic nationwide view of the network of airfields could be additional planning restraints imposed through the all-important National Planning Policy Framework.
“This red-tape cutting Government has offered is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for UK General Aviation. This Government has made it clear that we want to see regulations reduced and red-tape cut. Now it’s up to the UK’s General Aviation community to grab this opportunity, rather than just waiting for its direction to be set by others. If GA doesn’t take up this chance then decline in the sector is the only other plausible outcome,” said Shapps.
Shapps says that the last research undertaken into GA showed that it adds around £1.4bn to Gross Value Added to the UK economy each year and supports up to 50,000 jobs directly and indirectly. However, fresh research to update this data is currently being commissioned by the Government and, off the back of that, decisions about creating a more protective planning environment for existing airfields will be taken.
Mr Shapps added, “In terms of the potential for so called STEM subjects – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths – General Aviation offers it all. Not only can GA inspire the next generation, but it can also train them too, and not just as pilots. So we need to protect the sector that we’ve got and to set it free from the kind of red-tape that stifles innovation and future careers. Britain once helped lead the way in aviation – and we can do so again.”
