Regional Airports

Noah Law, the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Austell and Newquay, asked what steps the government is taking to ensure the resilience of regional airports. In response, Mike Kane, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, explained that while airports are responsible for their own resilience and financial plans, the Department for Transport continues to engage with the industry to ensure operations are as resilient as possible. He also stated that his officials are actively exploring opportunities for improving the resilience of the sector. Mr. Law followed up by expressing concerns about the increasing regulatory burdens faced by Cornwall Airport, Newquay, which is owned by Cornwall Council. He noted that these burdens are leading the council to explore costly funding options, potentially putting the aviation business on an even less stable footing, despite its clear benefit to the public good and the local economy. Mr. Law asked the Minister to outline the steps being taken to ensure an adequate strategy is in place to support airports in meeting these increasing regulatory burdens. In response, Mr. Kane acknowledged the challenges faced by the UK's predominantly private aviation market, where regulatory costs are common across several industries. He stated that the Department for Transport is working with the aviation industry to understand the impact of these costs. Mr. Kane also mentioned that he is sure Mr. Law will continue to champion the public service obligation route between Newquay and London, which enables more passengers to use Newquay Airport.