Since the fundamental role of smaller airports is to provide convenient access to a network of longer-distance and international transport links for the regions, sub regions or cities they serve, whilst accommodating other aeronautical activity and facilitating the creation of employment clusters for their economies, there is an inherent logic in recognising the underlying spatial dynamic of that role, by seeking to build a cross-cutting alliance of interests focused on promoting the success of regional aviation, alongside the expansion of a national hub and other airports serving London as the UK’s national capital and principal world city.
This requires the articulation of a positive agenda, offering wide ranging, economically valuable but realistically achievable benefits the might be realisable based on collaboration between the different parts of the aviation sector (airports, airlines and aerospace companies), the broader travel and tourism industries, local enterprise/development partnerships and all levels of devolved authority.
With this in mind, RABA is seeking to identify what form a loosely structured, but co-operative and politically recognised alliance would take. It could include representatives of English and Welsh local authorities, devolved administrations, Crown Dependencies, LEPs, Tourist Boards and aviation groups with interest in small, regional Business airports. The aim would be to create a lobbying group of sufficient size and scope that it would be difficult for Government and its agencies to ignore or fail to address its policy agenda.