New hope for London flight link

Prestwick eyes third runway

Direct flights from Prestwick to London could take off again.

A third runway at He a t h r o w , u n d e r consideration by the UK Government, could open the door for Ayrshire passengers.

Prestwick is among six regional bases in line to be added to the so- called Heathrow hub if the airport expands.

B e l f a s t, Liverpool, Newquay, Humberside and Durham Tees Valley are the others ready to benefit from increased links to the capital.

The government launched a public consultation on the possible new runway this month.

Prestwick CEO Ron Smith, said: “A key target for Glasgow Prestwick Airport is securing a London route.

“This would be a hugely valuable for the economy in the west of Scotland.

“It w o u l d c re a t e connections for local businesses with London, provide our catchment with access to a wide range of onward connections enable tourists to travel right to the heart of Scotland’s beautiful west coast to enjoy our scenery, golf and gastronomy and serve as a gateway to the islands and the many other attractions we have to offer.

“We know that there is demand for this route and London Heathrow would be an ideal London airport to partner with.

“O u r b u s i n e s s development team will be following up on this announcement to work with London Heathrow and airlines to ensure that we are front of the queue for new domestic routes and that we make this a reality as soon as is possible.”

An additional 260,000 take- offs or landings would be permitted each year from the expanded Heathrow airport, on top of the current cap of 480,000.