IET: Government aviation policy is in a silo and too short-term
With global aviation traffic set to soar by up to 16 billion passengers by 2050, the Government urgently needs a long-term aviation policy, which effectively integrates with other transport systems such as rail.
In new advice to the Department for Transport, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) says that the Government should set out more clearly its long term transport strategy.
Professor Phil Blythe from the IET Transport Policy Panel said: “Technology has a role to play in the short term in mitigating the bad effects of aviation. The aviation industry, most notably in air traffic management, has been getting on with implementing the necessary measures to address aviation challenges. In the long term, however, there is a clear void where a holistic transport strategy is required. Only government action can fill that void.”
The formal response to the Government consultation has a wide range of recommendations covering climate change impacts, noise pollution, and increasing passenger connectivity.
The submission recommends that in the short term measures such as improving collaborative decision making procedures at airports, introducing new air traffic management processes and making best use of aviation capacity through more transparent competition can help to address aviation challenges.
In the long term however the submission sets out that the Government needs to act now by playing a leading role on EU initiatives and within international negotiations and by setting out a clear and holistic transport strategy for the UK.
The response was compiled by the umbrella organisation “Engineering the Future” which includes the IET and other professional engineering societies.
Ends
Notes to editors:
§ The full response to Government can be downloaded here: http://www.theiet.org/policy/submissions/s944.cfm
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The IET is Europe’s largest professional body of engineers with over 150,000 members in 127 countries.
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