NEW legislation now being considered would see regional airports such as Liverpool coughing up for its security costs, rather than – as now – the local police force.

Given the high level of security that exists around airports, which are in the front line of the fight against terrorism, such costs are likely to be considerable.

Under the proposals, to be enacted in a Transport Security Bill and to come into force in 2010, airport operators would pay to "protect the airport, the people who work there and passengers from the threat of crime, including terrorist activity".

The justification for such a move is that it is unfair for taxpayers to subsidise profit-making private enterprises, as long as the local police force is meeting the bill.

While there is some justification to this argument, the inevitable consequence will be that air travel will become more expensive as the costs of implementing the proposals trickle down to customers.

This comes on top of a "triple whammy" of soaring fuel prices, caps on landing charges that stifle expansion at London airports and plans for a new tax on every plane journey.

The proposed replacement of Air Passenger Duty with a new per-plane charge has already prompted JLA managing director Neil Pakey to warn the Government not to "tax planes out of the sky".

It is understood no decision has yet been taken by MPs, but legislation is expected to be forthcoming in the next session of Parliament.

At present, only the nine most impor- tant British airports are "designated" to pay for their own policing, a list that includes Manchester and Birmingham.

Now Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has decided such a split makes no sense because of the growth of other regional airports and is determined to "create a level playing field".

But it also shows that the era of carefree and relatively inexpensive air travel – of which Liverpool JLA has been such a beneficiary – is now increasingly becoming a thing of the past.