Written evidence from Flybe (HSR 199)
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Flybe is grateful to be invited to give evidence
to the Committee on 6 September and trusts that the following
summary assists the Committee in laying out the company's position
on HS2.
1.2 Flybe is Europe's largest regional airline.
Employing nearly 3,000 staff, we currently operate 69 aircraft
on 194 routes from 38 UK and 37 European airports in 13 countries
and carried more than 7 million passengers in calendar year 2010.
1.3 Of particular relevance to the Committee's
considerations, Flybe is also the UK's Number One Domestic Airline
operating more UK flights than any other airline, carrying more
domestic passengers at London Gatwick than any other airline and
operating over three times more domestic routes than any other
airline (CAA statistics July 2010-June 2011).
1.4 Flybe is the largest scheduled airline, measured
by air traffic movements, at Belfast City, Birmingham, Cardiff,
Edinburgh, Exeter, Inverness, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Manchester,
Manston, Norwich and Southampton airports (CAA statistics -
June 2011). As such, we can legitimately claim to understand
the domestic transport needs of the UK's regions better than any
other airline.
2. FLYBE'S
POSITION ON
HS2
2.1 Flybe supports increased expenditure on the
UK's transport infrastructure, and in particular upon supporting
the hard-pressed regional economies. However, Flybe does not regard
HS2 as an effective use of scarce resources at a time of economic
challenge. The UK has an overwhelmingly London-centric view on
transport infrastructure improvements and HS2 is, to our mind,
a further example of London being put before the rest of the country.
2.2 Flybe currently serves London Gatwick from
four airports on the UK "mainland": Newquay, Newcastle,
Aberdeen and Inverness and over water from Belfast, the Isle of
Man, Jersey and Guernsey, destinations untouched by HS2. As such,
Flybe can confirm that HS2 phase 1 (even if it were ready for
operation tomorrow) would have absolutely no impact upon our network.
There would be no route cancellations, no decreased frequency
and no cuts in capacity, facts that we are happy to explain in
more detail on the 6th.
3. OTHER POINTS
3.1 Aviation pays all its own infrastructure
costs and doesn't take a penny (other than a small amount of Highlands
and Islands Public Service Obligation) in government subsidy.
With HS2 phase 1 costing tens of billions of pounds to construct,
it will perhaps not surprise the Committee to learn that Flybe
thinks this is a further example of a skewed playing field when
it comes to expenditure on public transport.
3.2 Flybe also strongly refutes the perception
that domestic aviation is somehow environmentally unsound. Having
invested more than $2 billion on aircraft, Flybe prides itself
on having one of the youngest fleet of aircraft in the world,
with an average age of some four years. We fly the correct aircraft
on the correct route, predominantly operating the Bombardier Q400,
a 78 seat state-of-the-art turboprop aircraft. On regional routes
like Newcastle to Gatwick, Southampton to Glasgow and Birmingham
to Belfast, we do not, as other airlines have tried to in the
past, attempt to fill a 150-seat jet for such journeys. The Q400
burns 40% less fuel than the jets we replaced them with and therefore
produce significantly less CO2.
3.3 A number of studies support the environmental
credentials of turboprop aircraft, including a 2007 study by the
Rail Safety Standards Board which stated that "In comparison
between turboprop airlines and high performance diesel trains
there may be little difference between the environmental impacts
in terms of CO2 emissions".
3.4 We look forward to expanding upon the above
on the 6 September.
22 August 2011
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