Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to the aviation industry in the UK.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
As announced in the Autumn Statement 2015, the Government is providing £7 million through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to support new air routes promoting domestic and international connectivity and stimulating jobs and growth. We are also already providing over £5 million in support for two air routes to London via Public Service Obligations.
In addition we are working with partners in aviation and aerospace sectors to develop both the skills and the modern infrastructure they need,
Aviation employers, including British Airways, all the UK’s major airports and the Royal Air Force have formed a Trailblazer group to develop new apprenticeship standards for the sector. Standards currently under development are aviation operations manager level 4, aviation ground specialist level 3, airside operator level 2 and aviation ground operative level 2. These apprenticeships will provide new training routes for the sector, which will attract government funding.
New Anglia LEP is also supporting the development of an Aviation Skills Academy at Norwich Airport through a £3m growth deal.
The Regional Growth Fund has supported the project to divert the A45 in Solihull which has facilitated the extension of the runway at Birmingham Airport to enable direct flights to the west coast of the USA and China. The fund has also provided two awards to GE Aviation to research novel and new technologies to increase aircraft operation and emissions efficiencies, and the development of new manufacturing processes for the aviation industry.
Finally, Gloucestershire LEP is putting in place key infrastructure at Staverton Airport to enable the private sector to develop more aircraft hangars in order to secure the long-term viability of the airport and maximise its contribution to the local economy. The project is seeking to attract aviation-related businesses including aircraft maintenance, flight training and corporate jet management companies.
