British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) hub owner, Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd (HAHL), has unveiled a series of measures aimed at increasing the use of London Heathrow as an international conduit for other cities and towns located throughout the United Kingdom.

Overall the airport plans to add nine new domestic air links while boosting frequencies on existing routes to Aberdeen Dyce, Belfast City, Edinburgh, Glasgow International, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester International, and Newcastle, GB.

In addition to reviewing airport charges for domestic routes from January 2016 onwards, HAHL is also intent on establishing a new Heathrow Route Development Fund which will have GBP10 million (USD15.3 million) in start-up capital.

The funds will aid airlines, over a three-year term, to open up five new routes to airports around the UK in need of access to global markets but where the market doesn’t initially support those routes following expansion. Airports which could benefit from this support include Liverpool, Newquay and Humberside.

Other measures include partnering local government as well as airport operators to help develop Heathrow as a preferred international gateway for travellers. At present, HAHL claims Amsterdam Schiphol has more links to the UK’s nations and regions than Heathrow and London Gatwick combined.

HAHL will also bid to re-route UK Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes through Heathrow so as to provide outlying areas with direct access to an international hub.

Lastly, it has expressed a willingness to cooperate with any organisation that wants to operate Northolt, a Royal Air Force station located roughly 10 km north of Heathrow Airport, as a satellite runway for domestic routes until Heathrow is expanded.

"The measures would boost the seven existing routes, offering the potential for better timed and more frequent flights. In addition, our analysis indicates that passengers would be able to fly from nine domestic airports not currently served by Heathrow, meaning that a total of at least 16 regional airports will have the opportunity of direct links to the UK’s hub," HAHL said in a statement.

According to the ch-aviation route database, with the impending closure of Virgin Atlantic's Little Red operation, British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) will be the airport's sole operator of domestic flights. flybe. (2002) (Exeter), the UK's largest domestic operator, has welcomed the initiative saying it would consider Heathrow operations once issues concerning pricing regime and guaranteed slot availability have been addressed.