The ongoing battle against the weather at Heathrow Airport has served to highlight the chronic shortage of long-haul flights from Scotland, according to the transport spokesman for the Scottish National Party.
Fergus Ewing has observed that, despite airports in Scotland being free from the fog that has descended on Heathrow, thousands of Scottish passengers have been left stranded in recent days.
He has attributed this to the fact that too many passengers are forced to make connections at Heathrow, because Scotland does not have enough direct long-haul flights.
Speaking to the Herald, Ewing said: “This is proof positive of the need to see more flights from Scottish airports to the rest of the world. It also shows just how London-centric aviation policy has been for the last half a century.”
Scotland’s three key airports are based in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen – all three of which are owned by BAA.
A spokesperson for BAA told the Herald that Scotland now boasts a record number of international services but indicated that some people still choose to fly through Heathrow.
Glasgow Airport alone handles nearly eight million passengers each year and is used by around 50 airlines. It is Scotland’s busiest airport and it serves more than 90 destinations around the world.
