Boris Johnson is promising a review of air passenger duty on domestic flights in an effort to boost connectivity in areas "left off" the transport map.
A consultation will examine options including creating a new lower domestic rate or exempting return flights.
The move is likely to be welcomed by struggling airline operators hit by Covid but worry environmental groups.
The PM will also announce £20m for rail and road links and a review of a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Mr Johnson has championed the idea of a bridge or tunnel connecting Northern Ireland with the British mainland, describing the proposal as "very interesting" despite scepticism from the Northern Irish and Scottish governments.
Two routes, between Portpatrick and Larne and Campbeltown and the Antrim coast, have been proposed.
Announcing the findings of an interim report into transport connectivity on Wednesday by Sir Peter Hendy, the PM will confirm that a study will be carried out for the first time into the idea's feasibility.
Mr Johnson will also announce new funding to upgrade road, rail and sea connections across the UK in an effort to reduce delays and bottlenecks and stimulate economic growth.
Among key arteries earmarked for investment include rail routes between the North coast of Wales and England, enhancements to the West Coast Mainline and the dualling of much of the A75 in south-west Scotland.
But a planned consultation on aviation tax reform is likely to prove the most controversial element.
Mr Johnson said he wanted to cut air passenger duty on domestic flights to "support connectivity across the country" and help the economy bounce back from the pandemic.
Airlines have been lobbying for a reduction in air passenger duty, whose standard rate for UK flights will rise to £26 per customer per flight next month, long before the Covid-19 pandemic brought the industry to its knees.
But environmental groups say reducing the cost of flying will make it difficult if not impossible for the UK to meet its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 as aviation is the single largest source of emissions.
The review will also look at the case for increasing the number of international distance bands. Since 2015, there have only been two bands, one covering flights of up to 2,000 miles and the other those in excess of that.
Further plans to decarbonise aviation will also be examined, including mandating the use of sustainable aviation fuels across the industry.
Mr Johnson said his government was committed to "harnessing the incredible power of infrastructure to level up parts of our country that have too long been left off the transport map".
"This pioneering review by Sir Peter Hendy gives us the tools we need to deliver on our ambitions for a UK-wide transport network that encompasses sea, rail, and road," he said.
Critics say billions of funding is needed to make up for a decade of under-investment in regional transport links in the North of England and that cash has been swallowed up by the multi-billion pound HS2 high-speed rail link.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXBvbGl0aWNzLTU2MzM5MTky0gEzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLXBvbGl0aWNzLTU2MzM5MTky?oc=5
2021-03-10 00:13:44Z
52781426599546
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar