U.K. lawmakers seek overhaul of airline policy after pandemic

British lawmakers urged the government to adopt sweeping changes to aviation policy, recommending steps to bolster passenger protection while urging that airlines be reimbursed for any future Covid curbs.

The House of Commons Transport Committee said in a report that restrictions on flights during the crisis were disproportionate and confusing and called for international travel to be included in pandemic-resilience planning.

Where airlines are subject to future coronavirus curbs that don’t apply on a comparable basis to the domestic economy, they should be compensated for their losses, according to the report titled “UK aviation: reform for take-off.”

Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority should be give powers to impose penalties on airlines that don’t provide complete refunds when legally required to do so, and the government should introduce an Airline Insolvency Bill to better protect consumers, employees and taxpayers, the committee recommended.

“Ministers must get on with protecting the sector against future economic shocks and reassuring passengers that future restrictions will only be implemented in extreme circumstances,” its chairman Huw Merriman said.

The report also says:

• Domestic flights should be safeguarded through more flexible state support, with multiple airlines allowed to operate on such routes
  • Cuts to the Air Passenger Duty tax for domestic services should be introduced by July 1 rather than next April
• The CAA should be tasked with enforcing environmental mandates
  • A market mechanism must be introduced to support investment in sustainable technologies and fuels
  • Airspace modernization should be prioritized
• Airport slot allocation should be reviewed to encourage new entrants
• Heathrow price controls must factor in its already costly status
• Steps should be taken to accelerate airport and airline recruitment
• E-gates should be maintained in real time and available to under-12s