Aviation policy for Northern Ireland
Westminster asks for local views on aviation’s future but rules out devolving powers over flight.
Northern Ireland “will always be heavily dependent on air links” and needs good flight connections within the UK, according to a Coalition Government paper launched in March.
‘Developing a sustainable framework for UK aviation’ is the first step in drawing up a new national aviation strategy. Comments can be sent to the Department of Transport up to 30 September. A draft strategy will then be published next March and adopted in March 2013.
The Government says that the current strategy, launched in 2003, is good for growing the industry but fails the environment and communities living beside airports. Northern Ireland politicians have also claimed that the province’s needs have been ignored, despite its location.
Last year, planes from Northern Ireland’s three airports flew 22 scheduled flights within the British Isles, 21 to the rest of Europe and one direct route to the USA (Aldergrove to Newark). The province’s overall passenger numbers totalled 6.5 million; Dublin Airport carried 18.4 million in comparison.
However, residents living near Belfast City Airport have protested against increased noise and pollution. Edwin Poots lifted its cap on passenger numbers (it was two million in 12 months) in December but the decision will be challenged by a judicial review in June.
The UK’s air passenger duty (£12 short haul and £60 long haul) is far more expensive than the Republic’s €3 aviation levy, and so puts northern airports at a disadvantage.
Route cancellations and natural disruptions such as the volcanic ash cloud can affect the local economy more seriously than elsewhere.
Stormont has power over airports (as shown by the Belfast City decision) but the rest of civil aviation is reserved to Westminster. Back in 1998, ministers thought a common UK-wide approach made most sense. The obvious risk would be if Northern Ireland had different safety and security rules.
Some local parties, though, have called for these powers to be devolved so that Northern Ireland can set its own aviation strategy, and therefore attract more business.
The idea appeared in the SDLP’s 2005 manifesto; two years later the party said this should be an all-island strategy. South Antrim MLA Thomas Burns raised this in the Assembly. While Conor Murphy was supportive, he said any transfer of powers would be a long process.
However, the transfer seemed to be moving forward last May when the Conservatives and Unionists promised to consider it. The Westminster manifesto said the Assembly could “devise a regional aviation strategy in order to facilitate a more competitive and sustainable transport network for Northern Ireland.”
The end result, though, was a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition and the promise was not carried over. Instead, the coalition has gone for a UK- wide rethink, something which the Alliance Party had suggested last year. The Government will not devolve aviation to Stormont but promises to “work closely” with local ministers.
“Aviation is a crucial part of this country’s transport infrastructure. It should be able to grow, prosper and support wider economic growth,” Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has said, “but we are not prepared to support this growth at any price.”
2010 scheduled passengers
Belfast International 3,517,054
Belfast City: 2,722,67:3
City of Derry: 325,159
Total: 6,564,886
