Dundee is poised to secure new flights to London after the man in charge of reviewing the UK’s airport capacity said the case for Heathrow is “overwhelming”.
Sir Howard Davies, the chairman of the Airports Commission, has publicly backed expansion of the west London hub the day before the UK Government is to reveal its favoured scheme.
The former chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland was appointed by Conservative ministers to investigate the options and his views are seen as reflective of the UK Government’s thinking.
Heathrow bosses have already said that Dundee stands to benefit from expansion, with Europe’s busiest airport looking to introduce an additional 25,000 flights a year from 2021.
Sir Howard said the case for Heathrow expansion is now “overwhelming” and has “strengthened” since the Brexit vote.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: “It is simply not possible to avoid adding new runway capacity near London if the city is to continue to prosper in a highly interconnected world, and decades of attempts to find new sites on which to do so have foundered.
“The arguments for making a decision now, and for Heathrow, have strengthened in recent months.
“Overseas, the lack of a decision is seen as a symbol of Britain’s inability to decide on its future as a trading nation.”
The options on the table to increase the UK’s airport capacity are to build a third runway at Heathrow, extend an existing runway there, or for a second runway at Gatwick.
The airline FlyBe, which operates Dundee flights to Amsterdam and London Stansted, said it is considering introducing new routes if the third runway scheme goes ahead.
The UK cabinet, which includes MPs fiercely against a third runway, is set to reveal its preference tomorrow before a parliamentary vote next year.
Scottish ministers backed a third runway at Heathrow earlier this month, saying it would create 16,000 jobs in Scotland.
Inglis Lyon, managing director of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, which runs 11 regional airports in Scotland, is hoping the third runway is given the nod.
“Heathrow is one of the world’s great hubs, serving more airlines and more destinations than any other UK airport,” he said.
“Regional connections to Heathrow are good for tourism businesses, the Highlands business community and help to attract new investment.
“We need Heathrow for the international connections it offers to our regional airports.
“A third runway offers more slots which would enable a second daily flight to and from Inverness Airport and would also open up the possibility of a direct flight from Dundee.”
