The Scottish Affairs Committee has complained about the UK Government's response to its report on airports.
In its response to the Airports in Scotland document, Westminster failed to mention ‘Scotland’ once and said it will not offer financial support for the latest phase of the airspace modernisation programme.
The committee stressed that air travel is a lifeline for many across Scotland, particularly in remote areas, yet the UK Government failed to respond to concerns that too many air travel routes have been lost during covid-19.
To encourage greener routes of travelling, in line with the UK Government’s commitment to meeting net zero, the response confirms that the Jet Zero Strategy will be published later this year.
Committee members raised concerns with the lack of a joined-up approach between the devolved nations and the timings of pandemic travel restrictions. However, rather than addressing this specific concern, the UK Government explains the importance of effective working, and did not outline any steps to review communications around the pandemic.
The UK Government also failed to address the committee’s recommendation that ministers consider how the money raised from Air Passenger Duty could be used for environmental purposes.
Scottish Affairs Committee chair Pete Wishart said: “I have one glaring question to the UK Government about its response: what about Scotland?
“We were very clear in our report that airports in Scotland have been severely impacted by the pandemic, yet many Scottish airports kept flights going for urgent medical and food supplies and to get our essential workers to work.
“In its response, the government refuses to support the airports sector with financial support for modernisation, which could benefit travellers and the environment significantly, and also provided no commitment to improving dialogue with the devolved nations over travel restrictions.
“It’s clear that there is a complete lack of ambition from the UK Government to support any positive change for airports in Scotland.”
The difficulties experienced by airlines and airports over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend came since the consideration of the report. The committee stated that it may choose to come back to this issue in due course.
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