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| | Thursday, 26 September, 2002, 06:54 GMT 07:54 UK Airport plan from Euro MP  Passenger numbers are on the rise A Scottish MEP wants plans to upgrade Edinburgh or Glasgow airport scrapped in favour of a new facility in Central Scotland. Conservative MEP John Purvis has called for a full feasibility study, which would also investigate the economic benefits. The UK Government is currently consulting on plans to expand airport capacity to meet increasing demand. UK Transport Secretary Alistair Darling unveiled proposals in July which included the creation of a new runway in Scotland by 2030.
Options include extending the runways at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, or creating an extra runway at either of the two. The government is seeking views on whether either of the two airports should become a "hub" for air travel. Mr Purvis has called for a brand new airport to be built in Central Scotland, convenient for both Glasgow and Edinburgh. He said there were several suitable sites in the area. 'Less attractive' He proposed the Slamannan plateau, south of Falkirk, and land near Airth, in Stirlingshire, as two possibilities. Speaking on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme he said: "At the moment we are at the end of a branch line. "Glasgow and Edinburgh (airports) are very nice from a city pride point of view, but they fracture the market. "They make it less attractive for airlines to provide a good, frequent service, especially internationally."
A brand new airport could be designed from scratch for optimum efficiency, and given the 30 year timeframe, good road and rail links could be in place, he said. It would also relieve pressure on airports in the south east. Mr Purvis believes a single airport would justify a better network of air routes to Europe and North America. He said the central belt and Forth Valley would benefit from economic spin-offs. He suggested that to pay for a new airport, the existing sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow could be sold off for redevelopment. | | See also:  09 Sep 02 | Scotland 12 Aug 02 | Scotland 23 Jul 02 | Scotland 12 Sep 02 | Scotland 23 Jul 02 | Politics Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Scotland stories now: Links to more Scotland stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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