London Gatwick is looking to study the possibility of an airport expansion, claiming that greater connectivity between London and Scotland would benefit the Scottish economy.
Gatwick Airport’s chief executive, Stewart Wingate, is set to visit Glasgow and Edinburgh this week to promote connectivity with Scotland and also explain how expanding Gatwick can be better for the Scottish economy.
Wingate will introduce and explain a new study into airport expansion and Scottish connectivity to an audience of business leaders assembled at the Glasgow Chambers of Commerce. The research, commissioned through Inverness-based Northpoint Aviation, will study the present levels of access and demand, learn from best practice around other European countries and also assess the impact of a second runway at Gatwick on Scotland’s connectivity to London and the world.
Wingate, said: ‘The debate over airport expansion in the South East is not just about what is good for London, it is about delivering economic benefits, more affordable travel and greater connectivity for passengers throughout the UK.
Scotland is very important to Gatwick and our planned expansion will protect competition and deliver cheaper travel to more destinations for the people of Scotland.’
Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: ‘We are delighted that the chief executive of London Gatwick has come to Glasgow to listen to the views of our members. Access to London is vital for the businesses we represent and for the success of the local and national economies and Stewart has recognised that today.
We are working hard to ensure that capacity constraints in the south east don’t limit our future ability to access such vital national and international markets and in the short term this remains an issue.’
Following the study, Gatwick airport will return to Scotland to present its findings and seek more views in due course.
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport. It serves more than 200 destinations in 90 countries for around 35 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 23,000 on-airport jobs and a further 13,000 jobs through related activities.
