London Mayor Boris Johnson has warned plans to expand Heathrow threaten Dundee Airport.
Mr Johnson, a long-term opponent of plans to create a third runway at Heathrow, has said the proposed expansion would actually see a reduction in domestic flights to the airport, making the prospect of a route between Dundee Airport and Heathrow even less likely.
Seven British cities have routes to and from Heathrow, down from 18 25 years ago. Dundee has no direct flight to Heathrow but FLyBe does fly twice a day to London Stansted.
Mr Johnson has now written to 11 regions and more than 480 key businesses around the UK warning the Airports Commission has forecast that an expanded Heathrow would accommodate even fewer domestic routes reducing the number of British airports connected to a UK hub from seven to four.
This, he claims, makes it increasingly unlikely that Dundee will ever have a connection to an expanded Heathrow.
The multi-billion pound expansion of Heathrow would also only deliver a maximum of 12 new long-haul destinations, according to the Airports Commission.
He claims hub airport connections are vital to the economic prosperity of British cities as they rely on connections to and from hub airports for international trade, tourism and foreign investment.
Research by Oxford Economics suggests that around £1 billion of Scottish goods are exported via a hub airport.
Mr Johnson said: “Having connections with the UK hub airport is hugely important for Dundee. Those connections allow businesses to trade and secure investment across the globe. But the truth is that Heathrow has been failing our regions well over a quarter of a century and quite staggeringly the Airports Commission’s own analysis shows that the construction of a third runway only worsens the situation. ”
Mr Johnson said : “The only long-term solution that would enable British businesses to compete on a level playing field with our European competitors is to build a four-runway hub airport, and the only logical location for that airport is to the east of London,” he said.
Alison Henderson, chief executive officer at Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s vital that air links to and from Dundee to major hubs are protected, to ensure businesses in the region remain accessible and visible on the international market.”
This article originally incorrectly stated FlyBe flew to London City. We apologise for any confusion.