The head of Britain's biggest budget airline, easyJet, has accused the government of being "obsessed with high-speed rail" at the expense of aviation, joining a chorus of criticism from the business community about the lack of a coherent policy on air transport.
Carolyn McCall, chief executive of easyJet, has complained of a U-turn by the coalition in dropping a pledge to reform taxes on airline tickets. She has also criticised a lack of investment in major airports following the abandonment of plans for a third runway at Heathrow.
"In terms of general transport policy, they seem to be obsessed with high-speed rail," said McCall, who attacked leading politicians, including the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, for unrealistic talk about building an airport in the Thames estuary. "Before you start thinking about high-speed rail and any new airports in the middle of wherever, you should look at what you've got and invest better."
McCall's remarks, in an interview with the Observer, come amid mounting pressure on the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, over the lack of a long-term aviation strategy. A group of 74 business leaders – including the heads of Lloyds, the National Grid, Siemens and KPMG – wrote an open letter to Hammond last week attacking "blighted", overcrowded airports and warning that Britain's lucrative international air links are in danger.
The easyJet boss suggested that expansion at Gatwick, one of the busiest single-runway airports in the world, ought to be studied. And she claimed that the government had reneged on a pledge by David Cameron to alter air passenger duty, the £12 tax placed on every short-haul air ticket, from a "per passenger" to a "per plane" basis – a move that easyJet argues could create a framework for encouraging cleaner jets and punishing older, gas-guzzling aircraft.
"They can't say they care about the environment and then kick that into the long grass," said McCall, who added that the prime minister had declared his support for the change on a visit to easyJet's headquarters last July. "It was pretty clear what he said – he was absolutely committed to a per-plane tax. Completely committed."
