Third runway at Heathrow "will bring significant benefits to Scotland"
The decision to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport will bring significant benefits for Scotland, the Scottish Government has said.
The decision to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport will bring significant benefits for Scotland, the Scottish Government has said.
Economy Secretary Keith Brown welcomed the move but called on the UK Government to deliver on commitments made as part of the plans.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said he is “absolutely committed” to working with Mr Brown to improve connectivity between Scotland and Heathrow.
The Scottish Government has said the Heathrow expansion would create an estimated 16,000 new jobs in Scotland and reduce landing charges paid by airlines operating services from the London airport to Scotland.
The plan could also see Glasgow Prestwick Airport used as a logistics hub for the construction of a third runway, as well as the potential for a “substantial increase” in direct flights between Heathrow and Scotland.
Responding to the announcement by UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, Mr Brown said: “We welcome this decision and look forward to working with Heathrow to bring the significant benefits of a third runway at the airport to Scotland.
“Growing the number of direct international air routes to and from Scotland's own airports remains a top priority for this Government, but a third runway at Heathrow offers all our airports a range of benefits that will help them grow passenger numbers and continue to build on their successes.
“Expansion at Heathrow offers significant job creation, major investment opportunities and, crucially, seeks to address how all of Scotland's airports benefit from the new runway capacity when it is built and also in the lead-up period.
“We will now work with both Heathrow and the UK Government to ensure commitments made to Scotland are followed through.”
He added: “It's now crucial that the UK Government starts work on this immediately and puts in place measures to secure guaranteed access to Heathrow for Scotland's airports. There can be no further costly delays if Scotland, and the UK as a whole, is to reap the rewards on offer.”
The Department for Transport (DfT) has said the new runway will bring economic benefits to passengers and the wider economy worth up to £61 billion.
Mr Mundell said: “A new runway at Heathrow will provide a major boost for the Scottish economy for decades to come. It will mean better air links for business and brings the promise of greater competition, pushing down fares for everyone.
“What is important now is to ensure we get more slots for Scotland so we can build on the existing routes to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen and develop new routes such as Prestwick. That would be great news for Scotland, keeping us connected and boosting trade and investment.
“So the UK Government will take all necessary steps including, where appropriate, ring-fencing a suitable proportion of new slots for domestic routes to ensure enhanced connectivity within the United Kingdom.”
Mr Mundell said the number of flights between Scotland and Heathrow had fallen by about 25% over the past 10 years.
“There has been a reduction in the number of flights and we need to work to ensure that is reversed,” he said.