flybe. (2002) (Exeter) has petitioned the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence to reconsider its proposal to open up RAF Northolt to scheduled commercial traffic. Currently, the north-west London airfield is used by business jets and Royal Air Force (RFR, Brize Norton) transport flights.
However, the Financial Times reports the carrier recently submitted plans to begin twice-daily return flights to five local airports as a means of improving domestic connectivity as well as relieving strain on London Heathrow, located just just 16km away. Flybe also proposed setting up a fast bus link to Heathrow for connecting passengers.
“Northolt has, for too long, been the preserve of the elite with their private jets," Saad Hammad, Flybe’s CEO, said. "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."
Local operator Rothwell Aviation has also proposed that GBP3 billion (USD4.51 billion) should be used to extend Northolt’s 1,687 m-long runway to allow for the use of short-haul aircraft from 2018 onwards.
