BUSINESS leaders in Glasgow have thrown their weight behind proposals for Heathrow Airport to get an additional runway.

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce put its backing behind the London hub over Gatwick as its preferred option for the extra capacity, saying it was the best option for passengers flying in and out of Scotland.

A commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, was established by the UK Government in November 2012 to examine the capacity required to maintain the UK's position as Europe's most important aviation hub.

Initially short-listed options included a new runway for Heathrow, a new runway for Gatwick, or the extension of an existing runway at Heathrow, with delegates from both Heathrow and Gatwick lobbying the business community in Scotland to win support for their respective plans.

However an interim report in December identified the need for one additional runway in London and the south east.

In its submission to the Commission, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said that, though it prefers direct flights to international destinations from Glasgow Airport, a hub at Heathrow would be its chosen option.

It said this was because of the interaction between Scotland and London as a hub for a great number of connecting flights.

The Glasgow to Heathrow service is the most popular of the 110 routes from Glasgow Airport carrying 870,000 passengers a year, with 40 per cent of those travelling further abroad.

This compares to just 615,000 flying to Gatwick a year, and only 20 per cent of those travelling abroad.

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has also called for the Commission to "consider closely" the impact that its decision will have, in particular the availability of effective though-ticketing.

They also warned about the impact of splitting the range of international destinations between the two London airports.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: "We are supportive of additional runway capacity in London and seek that additional capacity at Heathrow as the UK's principal hub airport.

"In addition we are committed to continuing to push for the protection and growth of Heathrow slot access to support Glasgow and the West of Scotland's international competitive positioning."

Scotland has a dependence on airport hubs, with 40 per cent of international and 70 per cent of long haul passengers reaching their final destination via an indirect route.

Inverness Chamber of Commerce has also backed the expansion to be made at Heathrow, but with the condition that Inverness Airport would be guaranteed services operated by principal airlines to and from Heathrow.

The consultation period for the Commission ended last week, with a final report submitted to the UK Government in the summer.

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