BUSINESSES based at Biggin Hill Airport claim Bromley Council is pursuing a "relentless campaign" against them which could lead to job losses.

The accusations follow the grounding, by council landlords, of the last scheduled flight.

This means the council has now imposed a total ban on fare-paying passengers flying into or out of the airport.

Six of the 42 businesses based at the airfield have signed a letter addressed to the leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups on the council, asking them to "stop the political rhetoric and talk this through".

The airport is the borough's second biggest employment site, with more than 1,100 staff based there.

The letter, from the businesses, calls the decision to scrap the last scheduled flight, which operated between Biggin Hill and Blackpool five times a week, "a landmark which will haunt the airport community for years to come".

It states: "Bromley Council needs to understand the damage its relentless campaign against the airport and its tenants is doing."

Tropair hangar and operations manager Paul Barker said: "Some residents and councillors seem to be very anti-aviation and jobs could be lost because of their attitude.

"I think some people are afraid of what they don't understand.

"They imagine scheduled flights as massive jumbo jets.

"That type of plane could never use this airport.The Blackpool service was a 19-seater Jetstream 31.

"I've spotted it before now and realised it's landed without me hearing, and I'm on the same airfield.

"Among those who work here there is huge support for expansion because we have a superb facility."

The court battle to allow scheduled flights is set to continue.

Airport chairman Andrew Walters has petitioned the House of Lords for leave to appeal against the Appeal Courts verdict that such services fall outside of the definition of "business use" set down in the lease.

Airport director Peter Lonergan said: "The Blackpool service worked well because it was on a sustainable scale. Its grounding is another blow in what has already been a hard month for the aviation industry."

Councillor Peter Fookes, head of the Labour Party councillors, said: "At the end of the day, the council is just trying to enforce the terms of the lease. The council leader has the support of all parties in doing that. Nobody wants job losses but the companies know the terms of the lease and they're irresponsible if they take on people for business outside those terms."

October 24, 2001 9:10

Sarah Warden