Wednesday will be the 2026 Budget Day in the UK, our first from Chancellor John Healey. Early indications from the Chancellor are that he aims to give businesses and families some “breathing space”, alongside moving money and power from Westminster to the Regions. “Breathing space” will be welcomed and creates an opportunity for the Chancellor to think long-term and invest in aviation for the economic good of the country.   

Devolving power to the regions of the UK is a key promise of Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the indictors are that Chancellor’s Budget will include details on how this is to be achieved.  

Regional connectivity should be a key part of these plans, bringing the country closer together, economically and socially, and delivering growth, innovation and opportunity to communities across the UK (transport is vital to this).  John Healey has already shown that he understands this by supporting the work to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport near his own constituency.  Now it is time for the government to look seriously at expanding our regional airports, as well as re-affirming their commitments to expansion at Heathrow and Gatwick. 

It is a fact that aviation is a net positive for the UK, contributing billions of pounds annually to the economy. Continued strategic investment such as building Heathrow’s third runway will create new employment opportunities and drive sustained economic growth.  

Airport expansion must be done in a coordinated, strategic way, guided by the highest safety standards, backed by robust operational planning and taking account of local concerns. Improved navigation, continuous climbs and descents and other procedures should be used to reduce noise pollution. Cleaner aircraft, better flight path design and sustainable ground transport can and should be used to mitigate air pollution. Communities have valid concerns and they should be listened to. But the answer isn’t to cancel airport expansion altogether, it’s to make sure that it’s cleaner, fairer, and part of a joined-up economic plan for the area.  

Investment in aviation however cannot stop at bricks and mortar. Expansion at Heathrow and Gatwick will mean hundreds of thousands of extra flights a year in and out of the UK every year.  For the UK to fully benefit from this growth in an expanded aviation industry we will need thousands more UK trained pilots.  That means it is essential that we fix our pilot training system.  

For too long pilots have had to finance their training entirely by themselves. With courses costing well over a hundred thousand pounds and no access to the student loan system many young people, with all the right attributes and abilities, are being priced out of the career. This isn’t fair, and it isn’t good for the UK aviation industry. We want the best possible pilots and that means making pilot training affordable.  

To that end, I would urge the Chancellor to take a fresh look at how pilot training is funded. A good start would be to sit down with BALPA, airlines and other stakeholders and iron out the problems in the Pilot Apprenticeship so that it can start delivering the quality, affordable training that both young people and industry need. 

Pilot jobs are good quality, long term, skilled careers. They should be open to everyone with the right skills, potential and enthusiasm, regardless of their background.  

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It has been a difficult year for the aviation industry. The closure of the strait of Hormuz caused aviation fuel prices to soar in 2026 and sadly led to the demise of Ascend Airways. Inevitably plane ticket prices have also increased, hitting holidaymakers and business travelers alike. Forecasters are already predicting that prices will continue to increase in 2027. It is clear that now is not the time for the Chancellor to pile more pressure onto airlines and passengers by raising Air Passenger Duty. Hard-working families deserve to be able to go on holiday.  

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