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Domestic air connections are beginning to compete with rail services as plane ticket prices fall and train fares increase, according to an industry spokesman.

James Fremantle, industry affairs manager with the Air Transport Users Council (AUC), said that the increase in domestic flights over the past ten years has been 'massive'.

A decade ago, bmi and British Airways were the only airlines operating domestic connections, according to Mr Fremantle, but the market has expanded considerably since then.

The main factor in this development was reportedly the EU's liberalisation of flights, which afforded carriers a lot more freedom in their networks.

'This liberalisation has allowed the airlines to compete with the trains,' Mr Fremantle said.

'The prices have increased on the trains, there is a gap there and they are exploiting it, creating demand and taking passengers away from trains.'

The speed of air travel has also fuelled its popularity over trains, the AUC spokesman said, as has the growth of airports across the UK.

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