A Highland MP is calling for the UK Government to make an immediate decision on airport expansion in the south-east of England.
Drew Hendry has written to the new transport secretary Chris Grayling, urging him to take action.
His plea came after an SNP-commissioned report estimated as many as half a million journeys taken from the Highlands include travel by road and rail to catch flights to and from other Scottish airports annually.
Mr Hendry, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, welcomed the “huge difference” made by the new Heathrow route.
But he added: “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.”
His call was echoed by Stewart Nicol, chief executive of the Inverness Chamber of Commerce, which backs expansion at Heathrow.
Aberdeen City Council has also thrown its weight behind a third runway at the west London hub.
It was one of 34 local authorities around Britain to lobby the government last month.
Mr Nicol said he would be pressing the issue with Andrew Dunlop during the Scotland Office minister’s visit to the Highland capital this week.
He told the Press and Journal: “It’s a major inhibitor to Highland businesses trading on the global scene.
“Post-Brexit I understand why there is a reaction of ‘let’s take stock and review’. But now it’s all the more pressing.”
The Conservatives have repeatedly faced accusations of kicking the Airports Commission’s final report – which recommended a third runway at Heathrow – into touch.
David Cameron had promised a decision by the end of last year, but it was put back to this summer for an environmental impact assessment.
Then former transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin indicated it would be “at least October” before an announcement, following the UK’s vote to leave the EU.
A UK Government spokeswoman said it was “fully committed” to delivering runway capacity on the timetable set out in the commission’s report.
She added: “Ministers will take a decision in due course after careful consideration of all the evidence.”
Mr Grayling said last month he could not say whether he would prefer expansion at Heathrow or Gatwick, but that either way a decision needed to be made quickly.
