Flybe reinforces call for RAF Northolt to be used for UK domestic flights

UK low-fare carrier, Flybe is once again pushing for the UK government to open RAF Northolt in west London and relatively close to Heathrow Airport, to limited domestic air services and ease congestion at the hub airport ahead of the construction of a new runway to serve the UK capital.

Last year the airline had said the RAF base could act as “a temporary ‘satellite’ facility for regional services that do not currently have air traffic until new runway capacity is built and operational” but its proposal was rejected by the Ministry of Defence.

The regional airline has called on the government to let it start flying twice daily schedules on five domestic routes from and provide links to airports across the UK that are not currently served from Heathrow such as Glasgow Prestwick, Jersey, Liverpool, Newquay and Teeside.

Flybe revealed its intentions after last week’s government spending review did not include its proposal to operate from Northolt. It claims the plan, which is independent of any decision on the Airports Commission's recommendations on airport capacity in the South East, would bring additional runway capacity to serve UK passengers in the immediate term and without requiring any taxpayer funding.

"Northolt has, for too long, been the preserve of the elite with their private jets,” said Saad Hammad, Chief Executive Officer, Flybe. "The Government is in danger of turning its back on an opportunity that would benefit hundreds of thousands of people in giving immediate regional air connections to London and beyond through Heathrow's long-haul network."

It is understood that Flybe is seeking to offer up to eleven weekly return services on each of the five routes from RAF Northolt which will equate to 20 flights each weekday. With the use of 78-seat Bombardier Dash 8-Q400s likely on these routes that will bring an additional 1,560 seats a day into the London market and over 500,000 a year.

With an estimated 60 per cent load factor this would generate passenger levels of around 300,000 per year and could generate about £3 million in income to the RAF and a further £4 million in air passenger duty to the Treasury, according to Flybe executives.

Flybe proposes to set up a fast bus link to Heathrow, which is 10 miles away, for connecting passengers and Heathrow officials have given their tentative backing to the idea as an interim solution. “Using Northolt would be an interim solution to the capacity constraints at Heathrow which have existed for over a decade,” a spokesman told the UK press.

Northolt is currently used by private executive jets for VIP and RAF transport. Flybe is understood to have proposed replacing business jet services with the same number of regional flights so as not to reduce aircraft movements and negate the environmental impact of its flights. It has suggested its plan would benefit local residents as total noise would be reduced by replacing private jets with its quieter turboprop aircraft.