Air Travel

Question Time — Scottish Executive — Social Work and Social Care (Careers) – in the Scottish Parliament at 2:30 pm on 7 November 2002.

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Photo of Bristow Muldoon Bristow Muldoon Labour 2:30, 7 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is promoting the responsible growth of air travel in and to Scotland. (S1O-5851)

Photo of Iain Gray Iain Gray Labour

The Scottish Executive has on-going discussions with its agencies—the enterprise networks and VisitScotland—about the promotion of air links serving all parts of Scotland. We are committed to ensuring that the rising demand for air travel brings maximum economic benefits, at minimal environmental cost, to all Scottish airports and the communities that they serve.

Photo of Bristow Muldoon Bristow Muldoon Labour

I encourage the minister to continue to work with those agencies to enhance the links between Scotland and major European cities. Does the minister accept that improved journey times for intercity rail travel might represent the most sustainable way of improving Scotland's transport links within the United Kingdom?

Photo of Iain Gray Iain Gray Labour

It is clear that a combination of the two modes of travel is necessary. The greatest symbol of such a combination is our commitment to improve the rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. New routes are also important, because direct air routes make it less necessary for many passengers to travel from Scotland to London, which offers an environmental advantage.

Photo of Margaret Smith Margaret Smith Liberal Democrat

I welcome responsible growth in capacity at Edinburgh airport, but to achieve responsible growth in air travel we must include the option of quality public transport links to reduce congestion. Will the minister tell members when the preferred option for the Edinburgh airport rail link will be announced?

Photo of Iain Gray Iain Gray Labour

As Margaret Smith is probably aware, we are considering a shortlist of four possible routes for the Glasgow and Edinburgh airport links. We still hope that preferred routes for those links will emerge from that process before the end of the year.

Photo of Alex Neil Alex Neil Scottish National Party

I want to ask what the minister is doing to promote low-cost flights between Scotland and Europe in two specific cases. In the follow-up to the Scotland in Sweden event, what is he doing to establish a direct air link between Stockholm and Scotland? Will he examine the funding structure of Inverness airport, which acted as a barrier to achieving an agreement with Ryanair on establishing low-cost services into Inverness?

Photo of Iain Gray Iain Gray Labour

The member has asked two questions in one. To some extent, I answered the first question in my initial answer. I am well aware of the interest that has been stimulated in a direct link to Sweden. As Mr Neil probably knows, there is a direct link between Scotland and Sweden, but it does not operate all year round. That is one of the routes that we continue to discuss with the enterprise networks and VisitScotland. Scotland in Sweden was an enormous success and many people felt that, if progress could be made, an air link between Scotland and Sweden would be a good outcome.

There has been much discussion about Inverness airport. The fact is that the £21 million that we give to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd ensures that there is an Inverness airport. It is HIAL's responsibility to negotiate a commercial deal with Ryanair or with any other operator. Without that £21 million, which is a tripling of the subsidy that we provide to Scotland's airports, neither the low-cost flights that already operate from Inverness nor the more important lifeline services around Scotland would exist at all.