Dundee’s troubled airport has been defended by one of the city’s MPs in the wake of criticism by the chief executive of its bigger rival.
Edinburgh Airport’s Gordon Dewar said Dundee City Council and Transport Scotland were wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds by subsidising the new stop-gap twice daily Dundee-London Stansted air link.
He believed that the council should instead be exploring better transport links with Edinburgh Airport which offered more than 40 daily flights to London.
Dundee West member Jim McGovern defended his city’s airport, saying: “Scotland is a large country with cities spread far from each other. I fundamentally disagree with Gordon Dewar in wishing to see Scotland’s airport infrastructure focus largely on the central belt.
“Just as Aberdeen and Inverness require a dedicated airport to service their economies, so too does Dundee.
“As a user of this service, I regularly speak with business passengers who tell me that a connection between London and Dundee is good for business and vital for the city’s economy.”
Mr McGregor said Transport Scotland made clear their view that there is a strong case for Dundee Airport becoming commercially viable in time.
He continued: “Our airport can be a success with the right investment, better marketing, more routes and competitive prices.
“The ongoing development of the city will see the airport become even more vital.”
Mr Dewar has invited Dundee City Council leader Ken Guild to justify the £200,000 the local authority is ploughing into the Loganair Flybe service that takes off on March 30.
Mr Guild is considering how to respond to the Edinburgh Airport chief, but said the council had to maintain air links with London because of their importance to Dundee’s economic regeneration.