KEEPING the UK CONNECTED, COMPETITIVE and SECURE Parliament 2017–2022: Priorities for Aerospace and Aviation
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KEEPING THE UK CONNECTED, COMPETITIVE AND SECURE Parliament 2017–2022: Priorities for Aerospace and Aviation @aerosociety www.aerosociety.com About the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) The Royal Aeronautical Society (‘the Society’) is the world’s only professional body and learned society dedicated to the entire aerospace community. Established in 1866 to further the art, science and engineering of aeronautics, the Society has been at the forefront of developments in aerospace ever since. The Society seeks to (i) promote the highest possible standards in aerospace disciplines; (ii) provide specialist information and act as a central forum for the exchange of ideas; and (iii) play a leading role in influencing opinion on aerospace matters. The Society is one member of the Engineering the Future (EtF) alliance of 38 professional engineering bodies in the UK with a combined membership of 450,000 engineers. The Society has recently contributed to major EtF reports, including Engineering a future outside the EU: securing the best outcome for the UK and Engineering an economy that works for all: Industrial Strategy ‘Green Paper’ response. Contact For further information or to discuss the contents of this briefing, please contact: Simon Whalley Head of External Affairs +44 (0)20 7670 4362 [email protected] www.aerosociety.com/policy www.aerosociety.com Image credits: Front Page(top to bottom): MoD, Rolls Royce, Gatwick; Pg 5: NATS; Pg 6: London City Airport, NATS; Pg: 7: NATS; Pgs 8 and 9: Airbus, MoD; Pg 10: Astrium, Airlander, MoD, RAeS, Reaction Engines; Pg 11: Heathrow, ESA, British Airways; Pg 12: British Airways, Airbus, British Airways, RAeS; Pg 13: British Airways; Pg 14: Airbus, MoD; Pg 15 BAE Systems, MoD. 2 Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com KEEPING THE UK CONNECTED, COMPETITIVE AND SECURE Parliament 2017 – 2022: Priorities for Aerospace and Aviation Contents Foreword 4 Priority 1: Support global connectivity 6 Priority 2: Provide flexible air power capability 8 Priority 3: Harness the potential of new technology 10 Priority 4: Nurture future talent 12 Priority 5: Maximise national economic value 14 Parliament 2017– 2022: Keeping the UK Connected, Competitive and Secure 3 FOREWORD The aerospace (civil and defence, including space) links and trading partnerships, providing every-day and aviation sectors are and should remain at the services and enabling new export opportunities core of a productive, advanced and growing UK for UK goods and services. As the aerospace and economy with global reach. Both sectors enable the aviation sectors have become tightly integrated timely and direct movement of people and goods across Europe, disentanglement from the EU could around the globe, connecting people, businesses undermine the health of the UK (and European) and whole countries, generating revenue for the sectors in the short to medium term and hinder nation, creating high-value jobs across the whole their potential to support the UK in a new global country and contributing to the protection and environment into the future. security of its citizens. UK aerospace production is the largest in Europe and remains only second Negotiations for the UK’s exit from the EU will to the US in the world. While the UK has one of the obviously be the biggest policy challenge of the largest demand-led international order-books fierce 2017 to 2022 Parliament. By actively supporting competition from global rivals threatens its position the aerospace and aviation sectors and creating the and success. strongest practicable domestic and international policy frameworks, the Government and Parliament UK aerospace and aviation are largely self-reliant can help secure these key economic sectors and their private sectors able to operate successfully with vital industrial, research and development, production minimum, but critical support from the Government and high-value skills capabilities for the benefit of and Parliament. The considerable safety and the whole country, thus helping the largest possible international regulatory dimensions of these sectors range of businesses to success in a post-Brexit and their associated commercial and physical environment. operating environments, as well as research funding assistance, mean that the Government While Brexit will undoubtedly be the primary focus, and Parliament have a vital role to play in providing the Government and Parliament must continue to a stable, predictable policy basis on which UK prioritise the delivery of initiatives and programmes aerospace and aviation can thrive. that will not only help strengthen the economy in the short term but also future-proof the performance A well defended and secure nation depends on and role of the country in the longer term. Measures the on the maintenance of operational sovereignty outlined in this briefing will enable the aerospace and in specific areas and the retention of indigenous aviation sectors to contribute fully to the achievement capability relies on a strong UK defence aerospace of both goals. industrial base. Once lost, such a capability can take years to recover, if at all. A reappraisal of the current By working in partnership, listening to concerns, open-market approach to defence procurement helping to overcome barriers to success, creating would achieve a better balance of safeguarding the legislative and regulatory conditions needed for operational sovereignty whilst delivering better value them to thrive, as well as actively championing their for money for the national economy. value domestically and globally, the Government and Parliament can assist the UK aerospace and aviation The prospect of a UK withdrawal from the European sectors to keep the UK connected, competitive and Union has the potential to undermine the solid secure well into the future. foundations and very predictability needed for these sectors to continue to succeed; indeed, it is essential Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton GCB LLD(Hon) they do succeed and continue to grow within Europe DSc(Hon) BSc FRAeS CCMI and outside of the EU, establishing new global RAeS President 4 Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com Parliament 2017– 2022: Keeping the UK Connected, Competitive and Secure 5 PRIORITY 1: SUPPORT GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY An internationally competitive economy and transport users alike, including lower fares, new outward-facing society must be globally connected. business models, unrestricted access to markets Air links across the country that serve both and competition and choice. The Government and developed and emerging markets will ensure that Parliament is strongly encouraged to maintain UK the whole nation benefits from aviation growth, access to the Single Aviation Market for the good of and that the UK can benefit from trade with new the national economy. countries following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Brexit also threatens the UK’s membership of EU/ Key to supporting the growth in aviation connectivity US Open Skies. Given the importance of the UK/US over the coming decades is the provision of aviation market and transatlantic connections, and long-required additional runway capacity in the to avoid having to fall back on or create new bilateral South East of England and the modernisation of the agreements, the UK should seek to resolve this UK’s airspace system. New runway capacity will help issue as soon as possible, with a view to maintaining reduce delays, increase connections and improve our membership of Open Skies or negotiate access resilience in the aviation system. A redesign of UK to the US on the same terms. airspace will provide the extra invisible capacity needed in the skies to match the physical capacity The new Government and Parliament must: on the ground to allow the aviation sector to grow. ● Deliver at least one additional runway in the south Both new runway and airspace capacity will help the east of England by 2030 as recommended by the UK open new air links and provide new economic independent Airports Commission opportunity. In the short term, and through an updated aviation strategy, the Government and ● Prioritise a redesign and publicly champion the Parliament must find ways of making better use of importance of modernisation of UK airspace existing capacity, especially providing links to and ● Identify ways of making better use of existing capacity in from London and the rest of the country. the short term through an updated UK aviation strategy Despite the importance of growing links to new, ● Ensure that the Airports National Policy Statement unserved markets, Europe remains by far the UK’s (NPS) supports the delivery of additional airport capacity biggest destination market, accounting for 49% across the whole country and not just a third runway at of passengers and 54% of scheduled commercial Heathrow flights1; indeed, as a member of the EU, UK airlines ● Commit to preserving UK membership of or access to may currently fly on any route to and from any the European Single Aviation Market and EU/US Open country, and any route between two separate Skies routes within any country, in the Single Aviation Market. This arrangement has generated substantial socio-economic benefit for UK and European air 1 The Impact of ‘Brexit’ on UK Air Transport. IATA Economics, International Air Transport Association (2016). 6 Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com Parliament 2017– 2022: Keeping the UK Connected, Competitive and Secure 7 PRIORITY 2: PROVIDE FLEXIBLE AIR POWER CAPABILITY The maintenance of a strong national defence Procurement reform and the improvement of defence and security capability must be a top priority acquisition remains essential to national security. for the new Government and Parliament due to Cost over-run, delay and inadequate performance the unpredictable nature of the international undermine not only UK defence preparedness, but environment and global threats, including a threaten to deprive the UK defence industrial base of resurgent Russia, Islamic extremism, instability future resources. in the Middle East as well as escalating risks on PROCUREMENT REFORM AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF DEFENCE ACQUISITION REMAINS ESSENTIAL TO NATIONAL SECURITY.