Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) resources and (b) investment allocated by (i) airports and (ii) airlines to meet increases in passenger demand between 2014 and 2018.

The UK aviation market operates predominately in the private sector. It is therefore for airports to invest in their infrastructure to attract passengers and airlines, while airlines are well placed to deliver services to their customers by responding to demand for different routes.

The government has set out last year that it supports airports to make best use of their existing runways beyond Heathrow, subject to environmental issues being addressed.

In addition, the Airports Commission’s Final Report, published in July 2015, recognised that Heathrow airport was already at capacity and that the remaining London airports were not far behind – impacting the UK’s economy and global trading opportunities. It stated that there is a clear need for one net additional runway in London and the South East by 2030. That is why, following a vote in the House of Commons, the Airports National Policy Statement was designated as government policy in June 2018.