The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dundee connection likely if third runway gets the green light
Campaign would be launched to bring people to the city
A new Dundee to Heathrow route would likely be cheaper for passengers thanks to old fashioned snail mail, The Courier can reveal.
It is understood that, because the London airport is a hub for international connections, prices can be kept down through an increase in the number of travellers heading abroad and the transportation of freight such as letters.
The news comes as Downing Street confirmed a decision on airport expansion will be made next week.
Nigel Milton, director of external affairs for Heathrow Airport, said: “Heathrow does what no other airport in London can, combining local passengers with transfer passengers and freight. This means a Heathrow route can sustain bigger aircraft, with more frequencies, all year round. If Heathrow gets the green light, a Dundee route could be operational by 2021. We wrote to the Department for Transport this week to confirm our interest in moving the Stansted route to Heathrow as soon as we have capacity available.”
The Scottish Government has already formally backed a third runway at Heathrow, despite a rival expansion bid being submitted by Gatwick.
The cost of flights from Dundee to Stansted is seen by many as a barrier to using the route, whilst the journey from the city to Amsterdam’s Schiphol hub has been a success thanks, in part at least, to affordable pricing.
It can also be revealed that a bespoke advertising campaign will be launched to drive people not only to Dundee but to neighbouring towns such as Carnoustie.
Mr Milton said: “We have a track record of promoting Scotland and now our agreement with the Scottish Government outlines our desire to make Dundee part of our new campaign next year.
“That means advertising the best of the old, like Carnoustie, and the best of the new, like the V&A, to investors and tourists from every corner of the globe.”
Cabinet discussed the runway issue for more than an hour yesterday, with the final decision in the long-running process of choosing an option for development to be made at a meeting of a Cabinet sub-committee next week, Number 10 has confirmed.