Why Edinburgh becoming 'Scotland's Airport' isn't wise - Alastair Dalton

Flying direct to and from Scotland has to be a good thing - it’s faster, greener and altogether less stress-inducing than connecting flights via a hub airport.

The success Edinburgh Airport has had in attracting new routes, including Scotland’s only link to China, should be applauded. Closer to home, it now boasts a breathtaking array of European destinations, especially by Ryanair, its largest airline, which offers nearly 70 destinations this summer.

Ryanair flies from nearly 70 destinations from Edinburgh this summer. (Photo by Lisa Ferguson/The Scotsman) | LISA FERGUSON

The airport is uniquely blessed in Scotland in being as attractive to visitors to the capital as it is to residents flying elsewhere. The terminal also commands a large catchment area being to the west of the city with good motorway and tram/rail connections, with 80 per cent of the population less than 90 minutes away.

The airport has grown enormously over the 40 years I’ve lived in Scotland. I can’t believe I begrudged being able to park pretty much right in front of the terminal (long before the multi-storey car park), because I thought the airport was so small.

But could Edinburgh get too much of a good thing? Admittedly, I pose that question as someone who lives 15 minutes’ drive from Glasgow Airport.

But I do find it ridiculous, as one example, that residents of Scotland’s largest city can no longer fly direct to New York, yet there are as many as four flights a day this summer from Edinburgh.

Almost all of my European flights over the last two years have been from Edinburgh because there wasn’t the option to fly to those destinations from Glasgow. In my case, we travelled by train and tram, but many people will drive.

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The airport has increased the proportion of its passengers using public transport to 37 per cent, but 40 per cent go by car and a further 6 per cent by hire car.

Edinburgh is now referring to itself as “Scotland’s Airport”, but if it becomes the country’s increasingly dominant air gateway, that’s not necessarily good news for emissions if more people are travelling further to get there.

Sure, airlines won’t fly from airports where they can’t fill seats, but concentrating more and more flights at one airport can’t be good for the Scottish economy as a whole.