Aviation

This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on aviation and airports. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.

Standard Notes

DateDescription
15.05.2012Major Infrastructure Planning
This note deals with how applications for major infrastructure projects of national importance are decided.
16.04.2012Aviation: airport slots
This note explains the airport slot allocation process at airports around the world, with particular focus on the rules at airports within the EU. It also explains the process of selling or trading slots.
10.04.2012Air passenger duty : recent debates & reform
This note looks at the debate on taxing aviation, in the context of the Labour Government's decision in 2008 to restructure air passenger duty (APD), and the Coalition Government's consultation exercise on further reform to APD, launched in the 2011 Budget.
13.02.2012EU ETS and Aviation
The aviation sector has been included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme from 1 January 2012 as part of EU efforts to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020.
07.02.2012Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T)
Trans-European Networks (TENs) are infrastructure networks in transport, energy and telecommunications. This note is only concerned with the transport networks (TEN-T). It gives information on the background to the scheme, its financial aspects; the priority projects it supports; and the European Commission's plans for reform.

Research Papers

DateDescription
20.04.2012Civil Aviation Bill: Committee Stage Report
This is a report on the Public Bill Committee Stage of the Civil Aviation Bill.
24.01.2012Civil Aviation Bill
This paper has been prepared for the Second Reading debate in the House of Commons on the Civil Aviation Bill, scheduled for 30 January 2012
02.03.2011Transport policy in 2011: a new direction?
This paper outlines the changes made to transport policy by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government and looks at some of the long term transport challenges the government is likely to face over the course of this Parliament.
19.03.2010Transport Policy in 2010: a rough guide
This paper gives an overview of transport policy in the UK in 2010. It examines a range of issues related to transport policy, including policy-makers, spending on and sources of funding for transport, the transport policy of the main political parties, and the challenges in formulating transport policy in 2010.
04.02.2009Expansion of Heathrow Airport
This paper gives an overview of both the transport and environmental policy background in which this decision has been taken; the planning aspects of the proposal; its anticipated environmental impacts; and relevant statistical issues.

Select Committee Reports

DateDescription
05.07.2011Air passenger duty: implications for Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee report [Commons]
09.03.2011United Kingdom opt-in to the Passenger Name Record directive.
European Union Select Committee (HL) report [Lords]
08.09.2010Delivering multi-role tanker capability.
Public Accounts Committee report [Commons]
24.02.2010The future of aviation.
Government response. Transport Select Committee report [Commons]
02.12.2009The future of aviation.
Transport Select Committee report [Commons]

Early Day Motions

DateDescription
11.01.2012AIR PASSENGER DUTY
That this House recognises the considerable detrimental impact that the current level of airport duty is having on the UK airline industry, regional airports andbusiness and leisure ...
25.10.2011MR TADEUSZ SAWICZ
That this House expresses its condolences to the family of Mr Tadeusz Sawicz, one of the last surviving Polish pilots to take part in the Battle of Britain, who passed away on 19 October ...
19.10.201180th ANNIVERSARY OF LEEDS BRADFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
That this House commends Leeds Bradford International Airport on its 80th anniversary; notes that the Yeadon Aerodrome was opened in 1931 and has been Yorkshire's biggest international ...
12.10.2011DEVOLUTION OF AIR PASSENGER DUTY
That this House calls on the UK Government to honour its earlier commitment to devolve the responsibility for Air Passenger Duty (APD) to the Scottish Government; believes that by having ...
07.07.2011AIRWAYS PENSION SCHEME
That this House notes with concern the resignations of Mike Post, Cliff Pocock and Graham Tomlin as trustees of the Airways Pension Scheme (APS) established in 1948 to provide pensions ...

POST Papers

DateDescription
01.08.2007Transport biofuels, August 2007
Transport biofuels, August 2007. POSTnote 07/293.
01.11.2003The Environmental Costs of Aviation, November 2003
This briefing examines the basis for the Government's estimates of environmental costs of aviation and how these could be used in policy decisions related to airport expansion and environmental regulation.

Glossary

  • Research Papers (RP) - briefings produced by the House of Commons Library on Bills, topical issues and regular statistics
  • Standard Notes (SN) - shorter, topical briefings from the Commons Library
  • Early Day Motions (EDMs) - formal motions submitted by MPs in the House of Commons
  • POST Notes - short briefing notes produced by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
  • Lords Library Notes (LLN) - an occasional series of papers compiled by the House of Lords Library