Need for further routes highlighted

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Visitors are still being presented with too many hurdles to visit the Highlands.It is estimated that as much as 1/2 million journeys taken from the Highlands include travel by road and rail to catch flights to and from other Scottish airports annually – highlighting the loss of potential economic benefit and additional tourism. Inaction over airport expansion and route strategy by the UK Government is further hindering the situation.

“The Highlands is now, only very recently being served by major carrier links to Heathrow and Amsterdam and it is already making a huge difference. The positive action of working to get these links, however, has only gone to highlight the near standing start faced by the Highlands over air transport. Here in the North of Scotland, still too many people have to factor in long additional travel hours on the A9 or A96 to get flight connections. We need a rapid decision on Airport expansion, which the UK government has, for far too many years been kicking into the long grass. This must be backed up by a commitment to changing route development guidelines to allow more than one flight per day on supported routes.”

“I have written to Chris Grayling, the new Minister in charge at Westminster, urging him to finally take this crucial decision on Airport expansion – be that Gatwick or Heathrow. Only then, will Airports like Inverness to gain the level of connections needed to reduce needless additional journeys and inconvenience for our people and visitors alike.”