GAMTA members are urging airport owners and governments to reconsider their attitude to corporate-aircraft operators, in the face of increasing restrictions to business aviation at many of Europe's major airports.
Brian Humphries, chairman of the European Business Aircraft Association and managing director of Shell Aircraft, says that the situation with take-off and landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport has "-deteriorated dramatically" since September 1996. He says that Shell aircraft movements at the airport have been reduced from roughly 20 a month in 1995 to three in November 1996 and one in December.
Referring to the general picture in Europe, he says: "We have smart, capable, aircraft, and nowhere to take them."
Andrew Walters, chief executive of Regional Airports, which owns Southend and Biggin Hill airports in southern England, says that the pressure to squeeze out business-aircraft operations comes "-from the top down, where big airports encourage large aircraft; and from the bottom up, where the neighbours of small airports complain about increased traffic".
He believes that the UK Department of Trade, the Ministry of Defence (which operates airports used by business aircraft, such as Farnborough and Northolt in southern England) and local authorities all have a "vested interest in encouraging general aviation". He says that business aviation should not need protecting through legislation, but pressure should be applied to government departments. "The Government has made statements about business-aviation slots at airports not being at the bottom of the pile-we should go back and ask what they mean," he says.
According to Humphries, the key to successful business aviation in Europe includes having a system of multiple airports serving major cities, therefore reducing the reliance on single centres such as Heathrow. He lists the requirements at these additional city airports as: assurances of tenure, so that operators can invest with confidence; reasonable opening hours, including weekends; availability of handling, hangarage and maintenance services; good approach aids; an environmentally friendly operation and affordable charges."
Source: Flight International
