London airports to clash over rival Scottish plans

RIVAL airports Heathrow and Gatwick will clash tomorrow over the impact of their competing new runway plans on Scottish passengers at a major aviation conference in Glasgow organised by business group SCDI.

A passenger jet prepares to land at Gatwick Airport, which, alongside Heathrow Airport, will travel to Scotland to set out competing plans for Scottish passengers. Picture: PA

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate is expected to claim that Scotland would pay a “heavy price” for expansion at Heathrow because it would force up air fares.

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However, Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye is likely to hit back by accusing of Gatwick of not publishing its full charging plans, and claiming that expanding the Sussex airport would be worse for Scotland.

The UK Government-appointed Airports Commission is due to recommend next summer whether Heathrow should be permitted to extend a runway or build a third one, or Gatwick build a second.

Edinburgh Airport, which is owned by the same group as Gatwick, backs its bid.

In turn, the plans by Heathrow, which is in the process of selling Glasgow Airport to one of its shareholders, are supported by the west coast airport.

Mr Wingate is expected to tell the conference: “Gatwick is confident of keeping landing charges at £15 per passenger.

“Today, Heathrow charges £22 per passenger and that number will double if it is given permission to build a new runway, and will be passed on to every passenger using that airport.

“It is a project that will make every journey and every export from Scotland through Heathrow more expensive.”

Mr Wingate said taxpayers would not have to help fund its proposals, but Heathrow’s involved a “multi-billion pound contribution”, including for a tunnel under the M25.

Heathrow said the motorway was being enlarged anyway, which would have far wider benefits.

But Mr Holland-Kaye will argue that Scotland would see a bigger economic boost from its plans.

He said: “Expansion at Heathrow is about building on strength – not just for London, but for Scotland

and the whole of the UK.

“We can deliver more of the long haul flights that will carry Scottish business people and their products around the world because we’re already doing it.

“By unlocking capacity at Heathrow, we can ensure Scotland has the springboard it needs to compete on the global stage and win the race for growth.”

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