European Parliament
Phil Bennion  (ALDE ),
in writing.
– I voted in favour of Philip Bradbourn’s own-initiative report on regional airports and air services because it managed to strike a good balance between the important role regional aviation plays in regions’ economic development, in terms of boosting competitiveness and promoting territorial cohesion within Europe, and the warning against proliferation of regional airports. However, I strongly disagreed with paragraph 13 of this report in two respects. Commercial and retail activities can have perverse effects by cross-subsidising landing charges. This can leave the busiest airports being able to offer lower landing charges, thus making it more difficult for regional airports to compete. Moreover, restrictions on hand baggage granted by budget carriers are not a breach of competition law and conversely have stimulated competition.

