Rising fuel costs caused Zoom to collapse
Airports need more runway slots
11 September 2008More runway slots are needed at UK airports to combat the rise in fuel prices which are passed on to passengers, claims Mott MacDonald.
According to the Aviation Trends report by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the number of scheduled passengers grew at both London and regional airports in the last year, which meant that airlines were wasting fuel waiting around for runway slots at airports.
Laurence Price, director of aviation strategy at Mott MacDonald, said: "Where we need additional infrastructure is for runway slots, so we can get aircraft in the air and out of the air on arrival, instead of standing around waiting for slots which is wasting fuel and wasting resources."
Mr Price warns that incidents such as the Zoom airline fiasco, which left thousands of passengers stranded on both sides of the Atlantic, may be repeated if moves are not made to address the current situation.
"The sustained operation of airlines - when oil is taking up 40 per cent of the total cost - will just be incredibly difficult," he said.
According to the Sustainable Aviation report by the Airport Operators Association, aviation makes a £14 billion value added contribution to the UK economy.
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