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Briefing: Would a new London runway be good for Scotland?

15th October, 2015

Would a new London runway be good for ScotlandThe promoters of a new runway at Heathrow or Gatwick are presenting airport expansion in the South East of England as a benefit for Scotland. However, the Airports Commission’s own evidence suggests that this may not be the case.

Our new Scotland specific briefing, produced in time for the SNP Conference in Aberdeen highlights that:

  • for both Heathrow and Gatwick, the total number of domestic connections would in fact fall compared with the number today if expansion takes place;
  • the economic benefit from Heathrow expansion is not as clear cut as made out in the Airports Commission’s headline findings
  • According to the Airports Commission’s own modelling, passenger growth at Scottish airports is forecast to be lower if a new runway is built at Heathrow than under a ‘no new runway scenario’.

Download: Would a new London runway be good for Scotland?

 

domestic connectivity Economic benefits passenger growth Scotland South East airport expansion