Heathrow plan 'will benefit regional airports'

The proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport could be beneficial for its regional counterparts, according to one expert.

If approved, Heathrow's third runway could result in more domestic flights becoming available to and from the hub, Neil Pakey, deputy chair of the Airport Operators Association, explained.

The extra slots that will be created by the proposal will improve access to the various UK regions considerably, he added, something that could be good news for British holidaymakers.

"Heathrow is the UK hub, but unlike the French with Paris airport and the Germans with Frankfurt airport ... we don't have the regional air access into the hubs," Mr Pakey stated.

Earlier this month, the Civil Aviation Authority released figures suggesting that regional air travel portals handled 42 per cent of all passengers travelling through airports in the UK last year.

It also revealed that eight regional airports now provide flights to at least 12 international destinations, compared with just two airports doing so in 1990.

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