This afternoon, I was delighted to chair another meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Airport Communities. The meeting comes just a fortnight after our last meeting and provided MPs present to hear from experts from the aviation sector on the National Aviation Strategy.
The meeting was attended by several MPs with an interest in protecting our communities from the impact of airports such as Heathrow. I am delighted that for both sessions this month, I was joined by Steve Tuckwell, the new MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip and John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington. Having a strong representation from Hillingdon is vital to the group’s success.
It is important that the group hears from both those impacted by the airport and those who rely upon the aviation sector for work and travel. At our previous meeting, MPs were joined by activists fighting the expansion of Bristol, Liverpool and Gatwick airports. These campaigners, like those in Hillingdon, are keen to ensure that disruption from the airports is kept to a minimum. At today’s meeting, we heard from Christopher Snelling from the Airport Operators Association and Chris Cain from the Regional and Business Airports Group.
We posed both groups with questions relating to the group’s inquiry into the National Aviation Strategy. Among these questions, we asked about the need for a strategy, key elements that would be involved in the strategy and what considerations should be given to environmental impacts.
These meetings are important as the group continues its investigation and more are scheduled to take place over the coming months.
