Heathrow Scottish flights to be protected
● UK ministers predict 100 extra Scots flights a week if runway approved
Space for Heathrow-scotland flights will be protected for the first time if Heathrow’s third runway is built, the UK Government has pledged.
UK aviation minister Baroness Sugg said the expansion could bring 100 more Scottish flights a week as she sought to bolster support from Scottish MPS ahead of Monday’s key vote on the project.
It came as campaigners against the runway urged the SNP to reverse its support for the scheme with a demonstration at Holyrood.
International trade minister and runway opponent Greg Hands quit yesterday after it was confirmed that Conservative MPS will not be given a free vote on the issue.
Baroness Sugg said the additional capacity provided by the runway would encourage competition between airlines and bring down prices for Scottish passengers.
She said the UK Government will act if required to reserve around 15 per cent of new slots at Heathrow for UK flights.
Public Service Obligations (PSOS), which already exist to protect flights on uneconomic routes, would be put in place to retain routes if required.
The minister said it could also make flights cheaper, with these PSOS being exempt from air passenger duty – currently £26 per passenger for return flights within the UK.
She said it could lead to new Scottish routes from Heathrow, referring to Flybe’s interest in a service from Dundee.
Baroness Sugg also said the new Scottish slots would be at “helpful and sensible times” to prevent cross-border flights at busy times being squeezed out by others. She said she was
0 The UK Government will act if required to reserve around 15 per cent of new slots at Heathrow for UK flights confident of Scottish support for the expansion: “I think we’ve got great cross-party political support with the SNP being clear (in support), but it’s going to be down to the Scottish MPS voting on Monday.
“We really want to make sure that they do vote for Heathrow because it has taken a while, we are keen to get on with it and we think it will really benefit Scotland.
“What we’ve seen in recent years is domestic flights squeezed out of Heathrow because there is so much demand there, so if we don’t have an expanded Heathrow then we are going to see more of that, so there is a cost to not expanding too.”
But Rob Barnstone, of the No 3rd Runway Coalition, said: “Plans to expand Heathrow will be to the detriment of Scotland.
“It puts at risk the Scottish Government’s own tough climate change targets, which would be impossible to achievewithheathrowexpansion.
“Expansion at Heathrow will also impact Scottish airports, as any growth will be routed through London and not direct to international markets that could instead be served.”
Mr Hands said he was standing down to honour a pledge to his west London constituents to oppose expansion of the airport.
His decision again throws the spotlight onto Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who has been a long-standing and vocal opponent of the runway.
A UK Government source said Mr Johnson will be “out of the country” on Monday but refused to reveal where “due to security reasons”.
The vote coincides with a EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg, but Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan is expected to attend rather than Mr Johnson.