To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of flights into and out of Heathrow which were to destinations where there is a viable rail alternative in the latest period for which figures are available. (170714)

There is no definition of what constitutes a viable rail alternative to flying. However, according to CAA statistics for 2006 there were 58,915 domestic flights to or from Heathrow carrying just under 6 million passengers. There were 28,550 flights to or from Paris and Brussels, with 2.7 million passengers.