Foreign flights could be set for a Wick take-off
DIRECT flights between Wick John O’Groats Airport and some foreign countries may be set for take-off, according to far north MP Paul Monaghan.
He revealed he is exploring the idea with Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) in the wake of the UK Government’s approval for a third runway at Heathrow in London.
The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross SNP MP is keen to look at potential connections from Wick to major international hubs. He would also like to see better internal connections from the far north airport.
Mr Monaghan said if Heathrow gets busier and there are more flights to and from Inverness there may be an opportunity for Wick John O’Groats to benefit.
He said: “I have recently discussed with HIAL how this new deal can be used to benefit Wick John O’Groats Airport.
“This discussion led to a number of actions to consider how best to complement the additional capacity at Heathrow by creating opportunities to establish flights to foreign destinations directly from Wick, and connections from Wick to other major international hubs. In the next few weeks I will be meeting representatives from several countries to discuss this potential.”
Mr Monaghan stressed the idea is at “a very early stage” but would like to explore the possibility of flights between Caithness and Scandinavia as well as Iceland and the Faroes.
The MP said the Heathrow announcement should bring around £1 billion in additional capital funding to Scotland.
A HIAL spokesman said yesterday: “We met with Paul Monaghan who has agreed to help facilitate discussions with airlines in other countries with a view to improving connectivity for the region.”