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Written Question
Airports
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the review of slots policy will clarify the exemption for non-use of slots for reasons outside the control of the carrier.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We published the airport slot reform consultation on 4 December 2023 putting forward options for longer term reform of the slot system, including powers to provide alleviation from slot rules in exceptional circumstances. The consultation closed on 8 March. We are considering responses and will set out next steps in due course.

In addition, a permanent expansion of justified non-utilisation provisions to include pandemics and other health crisis is being taken forward separately using powers in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023.


Written Question
Aviation: Fuels
Thursday 8th February 2024

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

When he plans to respond to the sustainable available fuel mandate consultation.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A mandate to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will be introduced in 2025, leading to at least 10% SAF in UK jet fuel by 2030. Following the close of the second SAF mandate consultation in June 2023, the department has made significant progress in updating the evidence base and finalising the design of the Mandate. I can confirm that the government response will be published in spring 2024.


Written Question
Aviation
Monday 8th January 2024

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the publication by York Aviation entitled UK Business Survey: Importance of Express Services, published November 2023, what steps his Department is taking to support the growth of the express aviation services sector.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The growing importance of air freight in the UK supports the Government’s ambition to drive economic growth and increase the UK’s global impact through unlocking trading opportunities. The Air Freight sector including express aviation services operate almost exclusively in the private sector. We help express aviation services by working to ensure that our comprehensive Air Services Agreement (ASA) portfolio remains fit for purpose.

The Government has recently published a consultation on 4 December on airport slot allocation system reform. The consultation is open until 8 March 2024 and we welcome views from all stakeholders including air freight operators. We also intend to consult during early 2024 on proposals for the next night flight regime at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airports.


Written Question
Night Flying: Regulation
Wednesday 20th December 2023

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is developing new regulations on night flying.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The current night flight restrictions set by Government at Gatwick, Heathrow, and Stansted Airports expire in October 2025. We intend to consult during early 2024 on proposals for the next night flight regime, following a consultation earlier this year on night-time noise abatement objectives for these airports.


Written Question
Aviation: Freight
Wednesday 20th December 2023

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is planning to reform the slot allocation process to support air cargo operators.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published a consultation on 4 December on airport slot allocation system reform. The consultation includes proposals to make the system more efficient, dynamic and transparent and is designed to balance the interests of both airports and airlines, including air cargo operators. The consultation is open until 8 March 2024 and we welcome views from all stakeholders.


Written Question
Alternative Fuels
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the low carbon fuels strategy; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the use of hydrogen in aviation.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is planning to publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy in early 2024, which aims to support investment in the sector by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.

The Government’s Jet Zero Strategy published in 2022 recognises the role that hydrogen can play, both directly as a fuel in zero emission flight and as a feedstock for Sustainable Aviation Fuel, in our approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050.

In addition, the Government, through the Department for Business and Trade, is investing £685 million between 2022 and 2025 through the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme to co-fund with industry the development of ultra-efficient and zero emission, including hydrogen, aircraft technology.


Written Question
Aviation: Hydrogen
Thursday 16th November 2023

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Aerospace Technology Institute Fly Zero project, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the use of hydrogen in long haul aviation.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The conclusions made by the FlyZero project were used to inform the Government’s Jet Zero Strategy, which was published in July 2022, and sets out the Government’s approach to achieving net zero 2050 for UK aviation. The use of hydrogen is considered in the Zero Emission Flight chapter of the Strategy.

The Strategy anticipates that hydrogen will be first deployed in short haul aviation with recognised uncertainty on the potential for and timing of its scaling up for use in long haul. As with all measures in the Jet Zero Strategy the Government keeps the evidence base under regular review and any changes will be reflected in future updates to the Strategy.

Building on the recommendations of the FlyZero project, the Government, through the Department for Business and Trade, are funding the initial phase of a Hydrogen Capability Network. This project aims to define the operating model for open-access facilities designed to accelerate the development of liquid hydrogen aircraft technologies, capabilities, and skills in the UK.

The Government continues its work with industry and academia through the Jet Zero Council to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions. In 2022 a Delivery Group of the Council was established on Zero Emission Flight, which considers the use of hydrogen in meeting net zero aviation by 2050.


Written Question
Aviation: Fuels
Thursday 16th November 2023

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the comparative potential merits of different sustainable air fuels in the context of variation of lifecycle emissions within fuels denoted as the same type.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be easily blended with conventional jet fuel and then used in existing aircraft and engines. We recognise that SAF can be made from different low carbon feedstocks and technology pathways, and that the detail of these impact the lifecycle emission savings from the fuel. When using sustainable feedstocks, such as wastes or renewable electricity, to produce SAF, its use can reduce carbon emissions by 70% compared to conventional jet fuel.

The SAF mandate, which will mandate jet fuel suppliers to supply increasing levels of SAF in the UK, will start in 2025. As a greenhouse gas (GHG) based scheme, it will encourage suppliers to source SAF that achieves the greatest emission reductions. It will also require the supplied SAF to meet a minimum emission reduction threshold, further strengthening our intention to support SAF that meets the highest sustainability criteria.

In 2022, under the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) 48 million litres of SAF were supplied in the UK, with a reported average of 90% emission reductions. We expect the SAF mandate to build upon these volumes and increase the demand for SAF in the UK.


Written Question
Aviation: Hydrogen
Thursday 16th November 2023

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the processes it has in place for the licensing of hydrogen in aviation (a) testing and (b) programmes.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government works closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK’s independent aviation regulator.

Baroness Vere met with new CAA CEO Rob Bishton on 26 October and discussions included the CAA’s approach to regulating innovative technologies that will support decarbonisation of the sector.

The CAA are active participants in the Jet Zero Council, the forum that brings together Government, industry and academia to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions and co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for Transport, Business and Trade and Energy Security and Net Zero. The CAA attended the ninth Jet Zero Council, held on 8 November, and also chair a Regulatory Sub-Group within the Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group of the Council.

The CAA is supporting the testing of hydrogen in aviation by a range of UK organisations. As one example ZeroAvia, with CAA permissions, are currently test flying an aircraft using hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion in Gloucestershire.

The CAA have also established a Hydrogen Regulatory Challenge which will run for 18 months from October 2023 supported by funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Regulatory Pioneers Fund.


Written Question
Aviation: Fuels
Thursday 16th November 2023

Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the sustainable aviation fuel price support mechanism on the (a) price of such fuel and (b) adoption of (i) fuel-efficient technology and (ii) hydrogen implementation.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Government has committed to launching a consultation on the options for designing and implementing a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) revenue certainty scheme by the end of April 2024, in line with the statutory commitment made in the Energy Act 2023. This consultation, along with key Government policies such as the SAF mandate and Advanced Fuels Fund aim to support the development of a UK SAF industry.

Government will assess the impacts of a revenue certainty mechanism on fuel pricing and technology as part of that consultation.