Aviation Policy

 

The Aviation White Paper predicted air traffic would treble by 2030,based on historical growth rates. But the recent economic downturn has now reversed air traffic growth. Aviation policy now needs to be reviewed taking into account longer term environmental factors and depletion of oil reserves:

 

Global warming: Aircraft are responsible for around 6% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. On a global basis, emissions from air travel are lower than from shipping. However, at a time when overall emissions must drop by 80% to meet government targets, a trebling of aviation would be unsustainable. The solution to this dilemma is to reduce domestic flights by developing a North/South High Speed Line, offering a highly competitive alternative to flying on domestic journeys from the Central Belt to destinations in England.

 

Oil dependency: Recent volatility of oil prices and supply highlight the need to reduce Britain’s dependency on oil which supplies 98% of our transport needs. High Speed Rail could offer an electrically powered alternative to many Anglo-Scottish flights.

 

Airport Expansion: Plans for expansion of Scottish airports should be put on hold, replaced by investment in High Speed Rail. A switch to rail from domestic flights at Central Scottish airports should provide sufficient capacity to support direct international flights from Scotland.  

 

Scottish domestic flights: The Northern and Western Isles depend on lifeline flights and ferry services. These air services should be better integrated with bus and ferry timetables to improve accessibility to and from  these remote areas.

The majority of flights from Central Scottish airports are on Anglo-Scottish domestic routes. There are over 100 flights each way daily from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London airports.  There are also around 20 flights to Birmingham and Manchester Airports (illustrated opposite).  A North/South High Speed Rail Line could offer an alternative on these routes.