Airports to put passengers first

[March 9th 2009]

Aviation regulator the CAA is to be given a new primary duty to promote the interests of passengers at UK airports.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has today unveiled new plans to improve the experience of passengers at airports. Under the plans, air passengers will get a new champion, Passenger Focus, to represent them in the same way that rail and bus users do.

"I want to put passengers at the heart of how our airports are run - this will help ensure that we get the most efficient and competitive aviation sector possible,” explains Hoon.

"The CAA has told us that their current duties lack clarity. They ask them to further the interests of both airlines and passengers, without saying who comes first. Today I am removing that lack of clarity - the passenger must come first,” Hoon continues.

"Passengers have told us that although they are broadly happy with their experience of airports, they want things like more seating areas, more toilets, better flight information and more baggage carousels open at busy times - these are exactly the kind of issues that we will expect the CAA to address in discharging its new duty," the Transport Secretary concludes.

The Civil Aviation Authority will also be given a new secondary duty to ensure that airports meet their environmental obligations. Rather than being asked to develop its own environmental policies, the CAA will be asked to ensure that the economic regulation of airports is consistent with existing environmental obligations placed on airports.

Under the new government proposals larger airports will be subject to a new licensing regime. Licensing is common in many regulated industries, and the government says the new system would allow greater flexibility and enable the CAA to target regulatory activity where and when it is needed to protect the interests of consumers.

There will be three tiers of licence which will place varying levels of control on airports depending on their market power.

The government proposals are now subject to a 12 week consultation period which will end on June 1st.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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