Expert Support to Air Transport related Collaborations

Northpoint Aviation Services provides a unique service for a range of clients, which we term Expert Support.

Aviation is such a key economic development tool, that a range of stakeholders must inevitably be involved. These can include airports and air operators, transport authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships or their equivalents, tourism promotion bodies and those responsible for policy, and regulation.

In collaborative ventures Northpoint’s expert support has proved invaluable in defining terms of reference, collaboration management and administration, budgets and prioritised agenda setting, commissioning of relevant research combined with well-judged coordination tasks to optimise the performance of busy individuals, the organisations they are representing and the collaboration they are cooperating with.

Northpoint’s unique combination of aviation expertise and synchronisation of tasks can work to ensure your collaboration is effective, relevant and impactful.

Some examples:

spara colour very small

The Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme 2014-2020, is funded by the ERDF, and more generally aims to help peripheral and remote communities on the northern margins of Europe to develop their economic, social and environmental potential.

SPARA2020 has been designed both to address the region’s needs, but also to explore issues that have resonance beyond Northern Europe, and to develop outputs that will deliver enduring benefits after the project concludes in May 2018.

The lead partner for the project is The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) who are the statutory regional transport partnership covering Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Orkney, Highland, Moray and most of the Argyll and Bute area.  Other Scottish partners include the

University of the Highlands and Islands and Robert Gordon University whilst Sweden is well represented with Trafikverket (The Swedish Transport Administration), Sundsvall Timrå Airport and Storuman Municipality.  The North and West Assembly of Ireland will ensure certain Irish airports such as Donegal and Ireland West (Knock) are involved.  Molde University in Norway and even the University of Sydney is Australia will be playing key roles according to their specialist skills in economic impact assessment and benchmarking.

The ‘Preparatory project’ was conceived, pioneered and executed by Northpoint.  The main project is a €2.4m initiative over three years commencing in June 2015.


National Connectivity Taskforce_logo-01Northpoint managed the National Connectivity Taskforce (NCTF), providing research and secretariat leadership, organising meetings and budgets, as well as being responsible for the writing of the final report. The NCTF was formed to undertake a study of the connectivity requirements between the regions of the United Kingdom and the major airports serving London and the South East region. Its remit covered only those airports which had been shortlisted by the Airports Commission as potential locations for additional runway capacity, that is London Heathrow and London Gatwick. The Task Force was chaired by Lord Shipley and consisted of regional representatives from across the UK as well as individuals from the travel industry and relevant academics.

Organised by Northpoint, the Task Force undertook six months of data gathering, received presentations and papers on 25 work packages, held ten meetings and conducted a targeted and substantive outreach programme including relevant stakeholders, regional airports and business representatives, Government Ministers and members of relevant professional bodies. The resulting submission was sent to the Airports Commission and the Task Force published a final report supported by sixteen research papers. Northpoint were responsible for the writing of the final report which has been subsequently downloaded by many key stakeholder organisations in the UK and as far as Japan.  It is now being quoted in parliamentary debates and has had an impact on the national dialogue on the issues.   It can be downloaded here:www.nationalconnectivitytaskforce.co.uk/report.php.


Northpoint provides secretariat and research support to the Regional and Business Airports group (RABA) which aims to represent and further the collective interests of the UK’s smaller regional and business airports. Northpoint provides all secretariat and research leadership and the group have submitted a number of documents to the Airports Commission, the Transport Select Committee, Heathrow, Gatwick, the CAA, and the DfT.

The Group adopts common positions on policy and regulatory issues of mutual interest, and determines how to ensure these are effectively presented to, and understood by key influencers, decision-makers and the wider industry, stakeholder and consumer audiences.

RABA Group seeks the introduction of a range of practical measures to ensure that the interests of communities served by smaller regional airports are promoted and protected.  RABA believes that economic development and social cohesion in these areas will suffer if their airports are not valued and protected.

Regional and Business Airports include Regional and City Airports (i.e. owning or operating Exeter, Norwich, Blackpool, City of Derry and Coventry Airports – and Cardiff Heliport); Peel Airports (i.e.DurhamTees Valley, Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield); Glasgow Prestwick; Humberside Airport, Newquay Cornwall and Land’s End Airports; Stobart Airports (London Southend and Carlisle), Gloucestershire Airport, London Biggin Hill and London Ashford Airports; Guernsey, Alderney, Jersey and Isle of Man Airports.

Additionally Highlands and Islands Airports (Sumburgh, Kirkwall, Wick, Inverness, Stornoway, Benbecula, Barra, Tiree, Islay, Campbeltown and Dundee Airports) have added their name to some of the Group’s submissions.


Northpoint is fulfilling a contract to provide an outsourced secretariat function for SASIG – considered under the following areas of activity: Administration; Marketing; Partnerships and funding initiatives; Consultation responses and lobbying; Research, thought leadership and policy development; Reports and publicity.

SASIG is a group of Local Authorities from across the country, all with an interest in strategic aviation issues.  These Local Authorities comprise a population of around 11 million people, more than a fifth of the total population of England.  SASIG works to ensure that UK aviation policy is implemented in a manner that reconciles economic, social and environmental issues.  Chris Cain leads this significant Northpoint commitment with organisational support from Lesley Smith and Rebecca Crawford.


Recently appointed to provide Secretariat support to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Regional Airports to develop their work agenda and seek resources to ideally undertake an extensive programme of work. Provides research evidence on:

– Regional access to London and a London hub.

– The impact of Air Passenger Duty on regional aviation including relevant evidence from the Netherlands, Germany and Southern Ireland.

– The impact of regional aviation on local economies and city development in the UK regions and nations.

As well as other issues affecting the commercial sustainability of small airports.