Flybe calls for domestic flights from South Ruislip's RAF Northolt until new runway built at Heathrow or Gatwick

South Ruislip’s RAF Northolt should be opened up for domestic flights until a new runway is built at Heathrow or Gatwick, Flybe has told MPs.

Britain’s largest regional airline said “there is a need for early wins” in freeing up flight slots before either Gatwick or Heathrow expands, which won’t be until well into the 2020s, in written evidence handed to the Transport Select Committee.

The Airports Commission will recommend which one should get an extra runway after May’s general election. But either choice could be heavily delayed as environmental campaigners and local groups mount legal challenges to any expansion.

Flybe said Northolt, which will celebrate its centenary next year and was home to fighter squadrons involved in the Battle of Britain, could be “a temporary ‘satellite’ facility for regional services that do not currently have air traffic until new runway capacity is built and operational”.

Flybe’s submission also repeated calls for the reform of Air Passenger Duty, which ranges from £13 to £194 a flight depending on distance and class of travel.