Liz Goddard Politics Show Midlands

BMIBaby is based at Nottingham East Midlands Airport

It is the half-term weekend, but Skegness and Weston-super-Mare are cold at this time of year. Many Midlands' families have boarded an airplane in search of winter sunshine.

The number of destinations served by our airports has never been higher, and competition between the companies offering to fly us is cut throat.

It follows that pressure to expand on the ground and increase airspace has never been greater.

But what is the true cost of "low cost"? The BBC Political Correspondent in the East Midlands, Jonathan Ray, reports.

"Growth is unprecedented and competition in the Midlands is intense.

"We have to be highly competitive in order to widen choice to everybody." says Rowena Burns, who runs Nottingham East Midlands Airport and other regional airports within the Manchester Airport Group.

'No Frills' heaven?

As the population becomes internet savvy, the so-called "no frills" airlines have expanded to sate our hunger for a bargain.

At Coventry Airport, recently acquired by the World of Tui, there are Thomsonfly and HLX.

Nottingham East Midlands Airport is base for Ryanair, Easyjet and BMIBaby, who say passenger volumes are up 21%.

Flybe are a large scale operator at Birmingham, alongside MyTravellite, Ryanair, BMIBaby and Midlands newcomer Monarch.

Nowhere else in the UK enjoys a more intense and rapidly expanding "no frills" market.

Nottingham East Midlands Airport: passenger numbers risen by 5%

At what cost?

The government's Aviation White Paper hopes to nurture that growth whilst minimising its environmental impact.

Birmingham International Airport recently published expansion plans in response.

Nottingham East Midlands is drafting a strategy for publication later in 2005.

It is not only passenger travel which has provoked this battle between airports in the Midlands. Freight is a huge market.

Nottingham East Midlands is set to become of the biggest freight hubs in Western Europe, but that is worrying its neighbours.

Noise nuisance?

"The airport business plan is to generate much more freight trade.

"Freight planes landing every 90 seconds throughout the night, the time the majority of people are asleep.

"We are going to have people woken up by all this freight. During the night it will be freight planes coming in, and older noisier aircraft", says Steve Charlish, Chairman of East Leicestershire Villages against Airspace (ELVAA).

"That is just irresponsible scaremongering", responds Rowena Burns.

"Even Heathrow is not that busy. There is not another airport in the world that would operate in that way.

"The freight industry takes very seriously its responsibility. Actually they are moving more freight, but with newer, quieter aircraft.

"There are over 6000 jobs immediately dependent on the current degree of activity here.

"We do take extremely seriously our need to grow responsibly and consider all of our neighbours.

"But the loss of business and amenity far outweighs any real environmental impact argument."

Coventry Airport: started budget flights in March 2004

Government intervention?

There have been calls for the government to intervene directly and impose tight regulation on regional airports like Nottingham, so called "designation".

But airport operating companies say that would be far too heavy handed.

The Conservative MP for Harborough, Edward Garnier, QC, MP, says "rapid expansion should not happen unchecked and the government must take responsibility.

"Freight flying over rural seats such as Harborough with next to no other ambient night noise is unacceptable".

But Nottingham East Midlands Airport bosses say "Mr Garnier's constituency is rural, and we have moved the traffic away from much closer, much more heavily populated areas.

"Under the proposed flight paths the aircraft will be at a considerable height on the very edge of Edward Garnier's constituency, 24 miles away. That is a long way."

Politics Show

That is the Politics Show Sunday, 13 February, at 12.20pm.

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