Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund has not yet been allocated.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Regional Air Connectivity Fund was announced by the previous Government to provide up to £20 million annually to maintain existing domestic air routes to London that may be withdrawn, and to support new air routes from airports handling fewer than 5 million passengers per annum though start-up aid.

The Government has already made £5.2 million available to maintain the existing air links between Dundee and Stansted airports, and between Newquay and Gatwick airports, and will continue to consider support for other routes that may be withdrawn.

In addition, the Department last year undertook a tender process for airlines to bid for funding for start-up aid for new air routes. A total of eleven bids were received and the government announced last November that up to £7 million would be provided to support all eleven routes. It is now for the airlines to start operating these routes, with payments from the fund made upon delivery of the agreed service.

We are now considering whether to take forward further start-up funding rounds and will make an announcement later this year.