New rules on airport charging "disappointing - Fiona Hall MEP
4.15.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 23rd Oct 2008
North East Lib Dem MEP Fiona Hall has expressed disappointment that new airport charging rules will affect Newcastle International Airport while leaving regional rivals such as Leeds Bradford Airport untouched.
Speaking in a debate in the European Parliament last night, Fiona said:
"I welcome the increased transparency introduced by these new rules on airport charges. Too often, airports are secretive about the deals they strike - even when they are owned or part owned by public authorities.
"The public has a right to know how such airports are raising and spending their money."
But Fiona expressed disappointment that the threshold for greater reporting requirements had been set at 5 million passenger movements with no reference to percentage national market share. With 6 million passengers a year Newcastle comes just above the threshold, but it is "a minnow" compared to Heathrow and Gatwick. An earlier proposal to exempt airports with less than 15% of total national passenger movements was not supported by the British Government and rejected by EU Transport Ministers.
Fiona told the Parliament:
"Since regional airports compete mainly with their nearest neighbours it would have been fairer to have had a system which treated all small and medium sized airports in the same way."
However, it has been claimed that Newcastle Airport will be allowed to continue under Civil Aviation Authority regulation and will therefore not be directly affected by the new European rules.
Said Fiona: "The Department for Transport appeared to be completely unaware of this possibility when they last wrote to me so I will be writing to the Minister to seek clarification."
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Next news story: Berwick Lib Dem speaks out about A1 dualling in House of Lords (Fri 24th Oct 2008).
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