Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Heathrow dangles carrot of more Scottish flights

Post Thumbnail

Heathrow Airport bosses raised the prospect of more services to London from Aberdeen, Inverness and other Scottish airports yesterday.

But the potential for more planes to the UK’s hub gateway from 2021 came with a catch – the tantalising offer of extra capacity to accommodate up to 21 daily flights to regional airports hinges on the UK Government allowing Heathrow to grow, and not Gatwick.

Ministers are considering which one of three expansion projects to support – two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick – and a decision is expected within weeks.

Gatwick has claimed its project is the only one that can realistically be delivered.

Heathrow bosses said yesterday the UK’s decision to quit the EU had “increased the need to deliver more growth for every corner of the UK faster”.

Outlining the airport’s new “Brexit boost plan”, chief executive John Holland-Kaye said it would generate around £55billion more in growth than Gatwick in the early years after Britain leaves the bloc.

He added: “Our proposals for an additional 25,000 flights a year from 2021 would help businesses and families from Inverness to Dundee.

“Heathrow’s third runway is the only option that can help every nation and region of the UK realise the opportunities of Brexit.”

Heathrow’s full package of measures to support Scottish growth include creating space for up to 25,000 additional flights a year flights from 2021 – four years before the proposed third runway is built.

Bosses said they would also work with the government to make sure the new capacity – up to 21 daily flights – was dedicated for use specifically on “UK routes like Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness”.

Business leaders in the north view a third runway at Heathrow as essential to the continued economic growth in the Highlands, and are pressing for a second daily service from Inverness.

“Today’s Heathrow announcement is a major bonus for Scotland and airports across the country,” Highlands and Islands Airports (Hial) managing director Inglis Lyon said, adding: “We have been talking to the team at Heathrow for some time around further expansion of our relationship … and look forward to working on the plans they have highlighted.”

Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson saidd: “We have consistently made the argument that Inverness Airport needs to have improved links to the main UK hub.

“This is a key issue for businesses in Highland and is also an important factor in attracting inward investors to our area.”

Aberdeen International Airport managing director Carol Benzie said: “Heathrow is the most popular route from Aberdeen … because of the onward connectivity it provides.

“We have long supported the expansion of Heathrow and would urge the UK Government to endorse the findings of the Airports Commission, which unanimously backed a third runway.”