Current status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 16 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments from Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, that the Scottish Government should “either support one or two flights to North America from Glasgow or stop doing route development funding altogether” and that "every single route in the aviation strategy has gone to Edinburgh Airport".
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Scotland’s international connectivity and we want to see it grow at all Scotland’s airports.
Our Aviation Statement commits to working with Scotland’s airports and airlines to help grow connectivity to the international markets that are important for inbound tourism, business connectivity and the economy as a whole. Scotland's International Strategy specifically mentions improving connectivity to North America.
We take a national approach to route development and our work with airlines is carried out strictly on an “airport-neutral” basis, leaving airlines to decide which Scottish airport to use.