Transport minister predicts end to domestic flights
28.06.10
Taking domestic flights in the UK is heading for extinction, the FT reports transport secretary Philip Hammond said. He told the newspaper: ‘Domestic flying will become in time a thing of the past,’adding that fast train links will be critical to addressing growing demand for air travel. Asked how else the country might answer the need for more airport capacity, Mr Hammond talked of the smarter use of airspace and ‘spare capacity in the Stansted runway’.
But several airlines cast doubt on the suggestion that domestic flights would become extinct. A spokesman for Flybe said: ‘UK domestic aviation will be unaffected by the limited, London-centric nature of high-speed rail investment over the next few decades. Indeed, there is a very strong argument that aviation which serves regions like the West Midlands and the north-west will actually see an increase in demand as a result of high speed rail.’
BA also dismissed the suggestio that domestic flights would end. A spokesman told the FT: ‘There will still be demand from people in the UK regions who want to fly into the hub airport of Heathrow, particularly if the high speed rail links do not link directly to Heathrow.' A Ryanair spokesman said air passengers would not switch to rail ‘because the trains are so slow and so expensive’.
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