Capital MP fears Heathrow expansion could hit east coast trains and Edinburgh Airport
He said he was concerned about the negative impact a Heathrow expansion could have
A city MP has warned that the planned expansion of London's Heathrow Airport could encourage people to fly between Edinburgh and London rather than take the train and also hit Edinburgh Airport's ambitions of securing more long-haul direct flights.
Scott Arthur, Labour MP for Edinburgh South West and former convener of the city's transport committee, said he was concerned a green light for Heathrow’s third runway could have a negative impact on both the East Coast Mainline and Edinburgh Airport.
He said: “The rail line between Edinburgh and London has been working well so I would hate for this to make flying more attractive.”
The fear is that the expansion of Heathrow could drive domestic flights between Edinburgh and London, at the expense of equivalent rail journeys. The rail route is notably better for the environment than flying, generating as much as 13 times less carbon emissions per trip.
And Dr Arthur is also concerned that the Heathrow expansion could distract from increased direct long-haul flights from Edinburgh. Since 2012, Edinburgh has increased its long-haul flight routes from one to 18, which has lowered carbon emissions for long haul travellers and made long haul travel more accessible for passengers from Scotland.
He said: “For people who do want to go overseas, Edinburgh has so many destinations all over the world now. We all have concerns about climate change and flying, but it's really good you can fly directly from Edinburgh rather than having to change flights somewhere.”
Dr Arthur is a member of the House of Commons’ transport select committee, which is scrutinising the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement published by the Department for Transport in June.
The statement would be used as the basis for making a decision on whether to grant planning consent for a third runway at Heathrow.
Last week the committee heard from Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, who said Heathrow’s operation as a hub was important. “Edinburgh to Heathrow is the largest single route we have and obviously that gives connectivity opportunities to a very broad network beyond that.
“The real issue is that we do not believe the Heathrow proposals are affordable or deliverable.
“The biggest threat to our connectivity to Heathrow would be an expansion of Heathrow that results in a £65 charge per passenger, because we would not manage to sustain the connection that we have, and British Airways would not be able to make a success of that.”
Heathrow wants to deliver the £49bn expansion in the mid-2030s, eventually increasing passenger numbers from 84 million a year to more than 140 million.
Dr Arthur said: “The decision on whether to give the go-ahead for the third runway at Heathrow is one of the most important decisions to be made for our transport infrastructure. However, considerable uncertainty remains over what the expansion would mean for regional airports and other transport routes, including rail.
“If the expansion is to go ahead, we must be sure that it can be done within our climate commitments and not to the detriment of the aviation and transport industry more widely.”