All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation |

Stakeholder Update

As with our lives, this APPG has suffered from dreadful upheavals during the last couple of years owing to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Our aviation Sponsors have of course been suffering severe losses with aviation being so badly affected and thus our income has suffered...

Parliamentary Group seeks reassurance on protection for airfields under new planning rules

Friday 28th August 2020The All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation (APPG-GA) has signalled its concern about the lack of protection for airfields within the newly proposed changes to planning rules in the UK.Co-Chair of the group, Lord Davies of Gower, has...

APPG calls for ‘national secretariat’ to protect historic aircraft

Friday 17th July 2020Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation have written to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport calling for the creation of a dedicated organisation to support owners of historically important...

CAA offers flexibility on charges after APPG expressed concerns

Tuesday 2nd June 2020The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has started a new, more flexible, approach to regulatory charges after Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation (APPG-GA) highlighted the need to do more to support businesses through...

CAA responds to APPG letter with better guidance on COVID exemptions

Wednesday 29th April 2020.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published new guidance to explain its previous COVID-19 related exemptions for pilots in a more understandable format.The clarification came after the All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation...

APPG asks Treasury to support aviation through Covid crisis

Wednesday 22nd April 2020.Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation (APPG-GA) have written to the Chancellor asking for Government intervention to support the UK’s aviation industry through the Covid-19 pandemic.In the letter, Co-Chair of the...

All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation Mission

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation promotes the objective – as set out by British Government – of making the United Kingdom the best country in the world for General Aviation, and to stimulate interest in the sector. Our goal is to ensure that General Aviation inspires both current and future generations to take up science, technology, engineering and mathematics, thereby creating high-tech jobs and growth in all nations and regions of our economy. In order to achieve this objective, the All-Party Parliamentary Group believes that a network of General Aviation airfields must be protected and enhanced by the government.

Support from industry

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on General Aviation believes that, over a period of decades, successive governments have failed to fully appreciate the critical role that General Aviation plays in promoting UK plc.

Commercial, industrial and military aviation has a strong interest in keeping a thriving General Aviation sector alive. Many organisations have already approached this APPG to offer their support. Put simply, the importance of General Aviation to boosting scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical (STEM) skills in the wider economy cannot be overestimated.

Yet no aviation sector can exist without a network of airfields, and virtually every airfield was a product of wartime Britain. When they are closed and built on, they are never replaced. Therefore, without a shift in government policy the UK will, by default, exit both General Aviation and overall aviation as a critical sector of our economy within a generation. We are delighted that industry more broadly is supporting the aims of this important APPG on General Aviation and we are proud to display their support here.

Carol Vorderman, MBE RAFAC, APPG Ambassador

“General Aviation is the inspiration for young people to reach for the skies. Fact. As we celebrate 100 years of the Royal Air Force, we must continue to engage young people through schemes such as the Air Cadets and the millions of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics jobs our economy needs for the future. It is high time to back a sector that produces many high-tech skills. The biggest threat to all of this is the closure of airfields. We can’t fly without them. If we lose them, as is increasingly threatened, we will let down the next generation and unquestionably stop the continuation of our immense aviation heritage.”

BAE Systems

“Most (if not all) aircrew individuals who help conceive, design, build, test and ultimately operate UK’s airborne defence capability point to their genesis from within the GA community. Drawing on the thick seam of talent that continues to flourish within GA circles, ensures that the UK armed forces and UK industry can attract and benefit from those individuals who can already demonstrate the airborne resourcefulness, aptitude and endeavour required. This not only reduces risk but importantly, financial strain. It is therefore imperative for UK GA to be recognised as a key enabler to our future sovereign wealth and prosperity; bringing together the positive elements of air-mindedness with the demanding high standards of technical knowledge and learning. Put simply, GA continues to inspire a nation!”

British Airways

“Small airfields are vital to encouraging people to learn to fly and to providing support for training new pilots for commercial aviation. The UK has always been a leader in world aviation and we should make sure we still have the capability to keep producing great pilots.”

Boeing

“Boeing’s mission is to ‘connect, protect, explore and inspire the world through aerospace innovation’ and General Aviation is a critical link between the communities we serve and the opportunities that aerospace presents for individuals, our society and economy. As a growing UK business, Boeing is proud to sponsor the General Aviation APPG.”

Sir Michael Arthur, President, Boeing Europe

Thomas Cook Group

“General Aviation has positioned the UK as a global leader in aviation, generating jobs, trade, and connectivity around the world. The highly skilled jobs and training that come from general aviation are making sure the UK aviation industry is equipped for future growth and continued global leadership.”

Christoph Debus, Chief Airlines Officer

Saab UK

“The UK’s diverse and dynamic aviation sector has general aviation at its very core, inspiring the aviators and innovators of the future. Saab, like the General Aviation APPG, is committed to supporting the sector both for the skills that it nurtures as well as by providing it with solutions that contribute to the continued viability of the UK’s airfields and the technological advancement of civil aviation.”

Andrew Walton, Head of Saab UK

London Luton Airport

“General Aviation has a proud history at London Luton Airport (LLA) and today we are the biggest hub for business aircraft in the UK. Without the pilot training, engineering and avionics jobs that smaller airfields help create, LLA would not be the success story it is today. But it is also General Aviation that offers passengers the flexibility they need to fit their travel around rigid business schedules and we believe that this is essential both for the health of a busy airport like Luton and for a prosperous UK economy.”

Neil Thompson – Operations Director

Rolls-Royce

“At Rolls-Royce we want the next generation to be inspired by the magic of aviation and hope that this will encourage them to become the pilots, ground crew and engineers of the future. General Aviation is part of the lifeblood of the aviation industry, helping to create the passion which keeps our industry alive and growing. We feel that General Aviation should be encouraged as it contributes to the sustainment and growth of the aviation industry, in which we are a key player.”

Airbus

“At Airbus, we recognise that a thriving General Aviation sector contributes to the overall growth and success of UK aerospace. Local aerodromes and pilot training schools play an important role in developing the next generation of pilots, employing engineers and inspiring people to consider a career in aviation. With the global aerospace market forecast to grow exponentially over the next 20 years having an available talent pool coming from the General Aviation market will be an important contributor to closing the future skills gap.”

Katherine Bennett OBE, Senior Vice President

Virgin Atlantic

“General Aviation plays an important role in maintaining a supply chain of pilots to commercial aviation. The UK is fortunate to have some of the best pilots in the world and it is vital that this route of learning to fly is not shut off for future generations by the closure of small airfields.”

Craig Kreeger – Former Chief Executive, Virgin Atlantic.

AirlinesUK

“General aviation has been and remains a great UK success story – with the sector making an enormous contribution to economic activity and the creation of thousands of high-value jobs. As we continue to see growth in UK aviation – with increases in routes and connectivity – we will need pilots and indeed airfields on which to train them more than ever. From an airline perspective General Aviation plays a vital role in allowing us to train and supply these skilled men and women in the UK –we should be doing everything in our power to nurture our airfield network as a robust foundation for pilots and engineers of the future.”

Tim Alderslade – Chief Executive

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation is sponsored by:

Hayward Aviation is a specialist general aviation insurance broker, providing expert insurance advice to clients in almost every sector of general aviation. Formed in 1992 to specifically meet the needs of the general aviation, private jet and helicopter sector, they employ over 60 staff solely focussed on this niche insurance sector. They count over 30% of all UK G-reg light aircraft as our clients, along with 80% of the on-shore UK helicopter fleet, Business Jet operations, Air Ambulances, regional and general airports and many associated service companies.

Hayward Aviation actively support the aviation industry through our membership of EBAA, NBAA, BGAD, British Helicopter Association, AOPA (UK), The General Aviation Safety Council and many other organisations.

Heathrow plays a crucial role connecting London and the UK to the world. Our vision is to give passengers the best airport service in the world – we will achieve this by making every journey better. Achieving Heathrow’s vision relies on managing the airport responsibly. A responsible approach is key to how we do business and underpins everything we do.

Responsible Heathrow 2020 is our commitment to maximise the positive economic and social impacts of our business, whilst carefully managing our environmental responsibilities. It underpins and informs all four priorities for the business.

London Luton Airport (LLA) is one of the UK’s largest airports and carried 15.8 million passengers in 2017, an increase of 8.6% on 2016. The airport indirectly employs over 9,400 staff and is a key economic driver for the region. It is the UK’s busiest airport for General Aviation, the third busiest in Europe and 7th busiest in the world.

easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Thomas Cook Airlines, Tui, EL AL, Blue Air, TAROM, SunExpress, Iberia (Air Nostrum) and Vueling currently operate from the airport. The airport’s route network serves more than 140 destinations including services to Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The airport is operated and developed by a consortium of which the majority shareholder is AENA, the world’s largest airport operator, and Ardian, a major European investor. LLA is currently investing over £150million to transform the airport and increase capacity to 18 million passengers per year by 2020.

The world’s largest aerospace and defence business, Boeing has been present in the UK for 80 years and is growing rapidly here. Since 2011, Boeing’s UK supply chain spend has trebled to £2.1 billion and the company’s direct UK employment has doubled.

Boeing now supports 18,700 UK jobs (2,200 direct employees and 16,500 in its Tier One suppliers). In 2017 Boeing broke ground on its first European manufacturing facility in Sheffield; gained planning permission for a new civil aircraft maintenance facility at Gatwick Airport and began the expansion of its Crawley pilot training facility which will be the largest such facility outside of the US.

Boeing businesses in the United Kingdom cover a wide range of activity covering: digital aviation, managing airlines’ maintenance activity, pilot training, aircraft interior design engineering, defence and security services and manufacturing.

Operating London Southend and Carlisle Lake District Airports, as well an executive Jet Centre and an airline, Stobart Aviation recognises the breadth of the contribution made by general aviation to the UK civil aviation industry.

Like others in our sector, we depend for our continued growth on a combination of skilled, passionate, entrepreneurial people, and the innovative technologies, which have historically emerged from general aviation.

Addressing the paradox of congested larger London airports and the closure of smaller airfields requires the same mix of innovation, determination and imagination. It is for these reasons that we are proud to support the work of the General Aviation APPG.

RiverOak Strategic Partners are working towards reopening Manston Airport (Kent).

With a plan to turn Manston into a vibrant hub for international airfreight – one which delivers economic prosperity and employment across Kent and protects a strategic aviation resource for the nation.

With the air freight market ripe for an alternative to the overcrowded London airports system. RiverOak believe that Manston’s accessibility, long runway and community support represent the strongest option available to Government to increase runway capacity in the south east for air freight.

EasyJet, is one of the largest airlines in Europe.

Founded in 1995 by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou EasyJet flyies to 104 destinations in Europe and North Africa.

EasyJet is based at London’s Luton Airport and has its largest base at London Gatwick.

MAG is a leading UK airport group and owns and operates three UK airports – Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands. The Group sees over 60 million passengers flying through its airports every year, which together employ over 40,000 people on site.

MAG is a growing business that is using its success to drive regional benefits; focusing on employment, skills, education and regeneration. Over 30,000 young people’s education in our local communities were directly supported by MAG in the last year. We contributed £7.8 billion to the national economy and our airports employed over 41,000 people on site. Our operations are carbon neutral and currently 100% of our energy needs for our airports is achieved through renewable sources.

London City Airport (LCY) is the capital’s most centrally located airport and a critical part of its transport infrastructure. In 2018, we welcomed over 4.8 million passengers and for the first time in our history there was an equal split of 50% leisure and 50% business passengers. Our passenger numbers have grown by over 40%in the last 5 years, with a record year forecast for 2019 at just over 5 million passengers. The range of airlines operating at the airport now includes some of the world’s largest and most renowned carriers such as British Airways, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, Swiss, KLM, Alitalia, TAP Portugal and LOT Polish Airlines, as well as key regional carriers such as Flybe.

Our £500 million transformational City Airport Development Programme is currently underway. The development programme began in 2017 and includes building new terminal facilities, eight new aircraft stands and a parallel taxiway. Through our transformation programme, we have the opportunity to provide our passengers with a modern airport experience that truly reflects contemporary London.

Reducing our own emissions has been a ley priority for is for many years. We will become a carbon neutral business by 2020 and fully support and welcome the Government’s recent commitments to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Our ambition is to be at the forefront of this agenda, and we will achieve these 2050 targets by employing the latest technology and innovation and working with our airlines and partners to help them achieve these goals too.

In association with the following organisations

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation works closely with the sector and benefits from the knowledge, expertise of the UK’s leading aviation organisations. We are therefore delighted to enjoy significant input from all the following bodies: