AOA and ABTA – Air Passenger Duty and Aviation Connectivity

The AOA once again attended all three of the main party conferences this autumn.  We joined forces with theTransport Hub, a broad coalition of transport organisations, to help organise two fringe events at each of the conferences.  Transport Hub members include AOA, ABTA, The Travel Association, the All Party Light Rail Group, the British Parking Association, and the Freight Transport Association.

Transport Hub team with Transport Minister, Stephen Hammond (2nd right)

We held the following events:

• The Big Interview with Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport
• AOA Fringe event – Should APD be abolished to create jobs and growth?
• An Evening Reception, sponsored by AOA, MAG, Emirates and Conservative Home
• AOA Fringe event – Air tax, visas, connectivity: Does the UK have an aviation policy for growth?
• Sustainable Aviation Fringe event – Meeting the challenge of growing aviation in the UK without growing noise

Daytime activity was mainly centred around the Sustainable Aviation (SA) stand and many questions raised around the aviation noise debate, with a generally supportive tone to the industry and the economic and social benefits provided; however, there was also genuine interest about what the aviation sector is doing to unite and deliver on carbon and noise.

Unsurprisingly, views on airport expansion and the Airports Commission were regularly raised both on stand and across the many fringe events.

We engaged fully with the whole senior Conservative transport team, including the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin MP, the former Aviation Minister Simon Burns and Transport Minister Stephen Hammond.

We also met and discussed SA with several other politicians, including Transport Select Committee member Iain Stewart MP, the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Transport Secretary Gavin Williamson MP, the Special Advisor to the Transport Secretary Ben Mascall, the Member of the Conservative Free Enterprise Group who wrote the recent ‘Case for Aviation’ report Kwasi Kwarteng MP, and aviation aide to the London Mayor Daniel Moylan.

Others we spoke to and who visited the stand included the Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps (also a private pilot), and high-level Conservative figures previously involved with the transport sector such as Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers, and International Development Secretary Justine Greening.

 AOA team with Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin MP

Darren Caplan with Stephen Hammond, Transport Minister

Ed Anderson, Patrick McLoughlin MP and Tim Hawkins, Corporate Affairs Director at Manchester Airports Group