In July 2012, the Government consulted on its strategy for aviation, the draft Aviation Policy Framework. This final Aviation Policy Framework will fully replace the 2003 Air Transport White Paper (Cm.6046, ISBN 9780101604628) on aviation, alongside Government decisions following the recommendations of the Independent Airports Commission, established September 2012. The Aviation Policy Framework is underpinned by two core principles: (i) Collaboration: achieved by working together with industry, regulators, experts, local communities to identify workable solutions; (ii) Transparency: decision making based on clear, independent information and processes. The Framework Policy covers the following areas: (1) Supporting growth and benefits of aviation; (2) Managing aviation's environmental impacts, such as climate change and noise pollution; (3) The role of the Airports Commission; (4) Other aviation objectives, including: protecting passenger' rights; competition and regulation policy; airspace; safety; security and planning.

Incorporating HC 765-i-vii, session 2012-13. Report published as Volume 1 (ISBN 9780215057440); additional written evidence is contained in Volume 3, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/transcom

Good surface access to airports is crucial. Where it works well, it can have significant positive impacts, both economically and environmentally. Limited or poor surface access can constrain growth, adversely affect the passenger experience, and force passengers, employees and freight operators to choose modes of travel to and from airports that exacerbate environmental problems and congestion. In the last Parliament, the Transport Committee recommended that the Government should develop a coherent strategy to improve road and rail access to the UK's major airports, and stressed the need for greater connectivity between airports outside South East England. Our inquiry shows that Government has made little headway with this agenda. The absence of a decision on airport expansion in the South East is a major obstruction to progress, and without a master plan for the country, the regions cannot be expected to deliver effectively their own pieces of the jigsaw. Government must take a clear lead on integrated transport planning which will benefit airports and the country as a whole. The Government is working on a draft National Policy Statement on airports. While, for the Government, this is driven primarily by the need to deal with airport expansion in South East England, the NPS must help to clarify how planning decisions will be made in relation to surface access improvements. Decisions about new transport infrastructure need to be taken far enough in advance that their implications can be taken into account in local development plans. Network Rail, Highways England and their counterparts across the rest of the UK should reflect these decisions in their long-term plans and funding commitments.

Air travel is fundamental to family and economic life in Northern Ireland. To facilitate the rebalancing of the economy it is vital the air links to Great Britain, mainland Europe and the rest of the world are robust. The Committee identified in this report several hurdles to overcome. Air Passenger Duty (APD)-despite the APD on direct long-haul flights being reduced to zero, this does not assist the 98.5 per cent of passengers who travel from NI airports on short haul flights. Ways to reduce or, preferably, abolish APD on all flights into NI from GB and on all direct flights from Northern Ireland to any destination should be explored.Connectivity-air links to hub airports, particularly Heathrow, must be, at least, maintained at the current level, and further routes should be actively sought. Airports Commission review-the review is being carried out by the Airports Commission into options to maintain the UK's status as an international hub for aviation. As this report is not due until 2015 and the delay as to the future airport configuration and capacity in the South East of England is causing concern among the business community in Northern Ireland. The Committee urged the Government to expedite the review and its decision, as soon as possible given its importance to Northern Ireland's international connectivity. Internal access to Northern Ireland's airports-road and rail links to all three of NI'sairports must be improved. Visas-there should be introduced between the UK and Irish Government, a shared visit visa for the UK and the Republic of Ireland, as the current cost of two visas deters both business and leisure travellers from visiting both jurisdictions on a single visit.

In a globalized world economy, delivering the aspirations of sustainability is proving to be difficult. Progress is held back by competing objectives within a complex interplay of factors. Finding solutions to the ‘wicked problem’ of sustainability seems to be beyond the reach of policy makers. Even if the political will can be found to deal with the prime challenges of the twenty-first century, ranging from climate change and resource depletion to persistent poverty and increasing inequity, what is to be done in terms of real-world policy is far from clear. Do we need more globalization; or has economic globalization gone too far in growing a global economy which will strip the planet bare? This book reports twin-track research which interweaves the intellectual argument over the future of the world economy intertwined with empirical research into the challenge of sustainability in aviation. Discussing the prime challenges of this century through the lens of the intractable policy stalemate in aviation, this book leads the reader to the identification of a new way forward. Whether the political will is forthcoming will continue to be subject to debate, but we now have a clear exposition of how to address the problem. The new paradigm presented in this book opens the way to considering radical transformations to make real progress with the sustainability agenda.

Air transport in the Asia Pacific has undergone significant transformation in the last three decades. What was once a region in the shadow of larger and more prosperous continents such as North America and Europe is now at the forefront of expansion in commercial air-service networks, frequency and capacity, and the overall growth in the contribution of air transport to economies on regional and, in many cases, individual country levels. Despite this, it represents an area that is generally under-represented in the commercial air-transport academic literature. Air Transport in the Asia Pacific seeks to fill this gap. Against this context, the aim of the volume is to offer a contemporary snapshot of current academic research into commercial air transport in the Asia Pacific. While one volume cannot realistically address the complete range of identifiable issues, this book provides timely, specific and research-based studies authored by leading academics and practitioners.

Green Aviation is the first authoritative overview of both engineering and operational measures to mitigate the environmental impact of aviation. It addresses the current status of measures to reduce the environmental impact of air travel. The chapters cover such items as: Engineering and technology-related subjects (aerodynamics, engines, fuels, structures, etc.), Operations (air traffic management and infrastructure) Policy and regulatory aspects regarding atmospheric and noise pollution. With contributions from leading experts, this volume is intended to be a valuable addition, and useful resource, for aerospace manufacturers and suppliers, governmental and industrial aerospace research establishments, airline and aviation industries, university engineering and science departments, and industry analysts, consultants, and researchers.

The aviation industry is unique in two major ways: firstly, it has a long history of government involvement dating back to the early days of aviation; and secondly, its primary concern is the safety of its passengers and crew. These features highlight the importance of ethical decision-making at all levels of the industry. However, well-publicized problems such as the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 highlight the need for ethics to take a more prominent role in the field. Ethical Issues in Aviation focuses on both past and current topics in aviation, providing the reader with an overview of the major themes in aviation ethics that cover a broad range of subjects. Contributors include academics who do research in the field as well as professionals who provide first-hand accounts of the ethical situations that arise in the aviation industry. This second edition has been thoroughly revised throughout to bring it up to date, and features several new chapters that cover recent events and topics. This book enhances student learning by providing faculty, students, and those interested in aviation with discussion of the most pressing ethical issues that continue to impact the industry.