The north and north-east is poised to secure new flights to London after the man in charge of reviewing the UK’s airport capacity said the case for Heathrow expansion was “overwhelming”.
Sir Howard Davies, the chairman of the Airports Commission, has publicly backed developing the west London facility.
The former chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland was appointed by Conservative ministers to investigate the options and his views are seen as reflective of the UK Government’s thinking.
The UK cabinet – which is divided on whether to approve a third runway – is due to announce its preference today, ahead of a parliamentary vote next year.
Heathrow bosses have already indicated that Aberdeen and Inverness could benefit from expansion, with Europe’s busiest airport looking to introduce an additional 25,000 flights a year from 2021.
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes welcomed the possibility of progression on a third runway as a chance to improve transport links with the north of Scotland.
She said: “My biggest priority is to see greater connectivity to and within the Highlands.
“That includes more connections between Inverness and London to make it easier to holiday-makers and business people to travel to other parts of the world.
“I also want to see more air connectivity to places like the Isle of Skye, which is currently a five-hour journey from the central belt.”
Sir Howard said the case for Heathrow expansion is now “overwhelming” and has “strengthened” since the Brexit vote.
Writing for a national newspaper, he said: “It is simply not possible to avoid adding new runway capacity near London if the city is to continue to prosper in a highly interconnected world, and decades of attempts to find new sites on which to do so have foundered.
“The arguments for making a decision now, and for Heathrow, have strengthened in recent months.”
The options on the table to increase the UK’s airport capacity are to build a third runway at Heathrow, extend an existing runway there, or to create a second runway at Gatwick.
Scottish ministers backed a third runway at Heathrow earlier this month, saying it would create 16,000 jobs in Scotland.
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited Managing Director Inglis Lyon, said a Heathrow expansion would help improve access to the north of Scotland.
He added: “Its expansion would have significant benefits for the future sustainability and profitability of the Highlands and for the UK as a whole.”
