A series of new routes opening up from Inverness Airport this summer will provide an economic boost for the region.

New flights operating from Inverness to Bergen, Zurich and Majorca will offer passengers new destination options as well as export opportunities for local businesses.

Daily flights to Heathrow from the airport saw 79,000 passengers travelling on the route in 2017. This figure is projected to increase in 2018 with the number of weekly flights set to increase from 7 to 10 over the summer.

This important route boosts the export of goods and services by businesses, gives passengers access to the wide range of destinations offered from Heathrow and opens up the Highlands for visitors from across the world.

Today (1 June 2018) the Aviation Minister met leading businesses in Inverness to discuss how the Highlands could see even greater connectivity with Heathrow expansion.

Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg said:

With new destinations and increasing numbers of passengers passing through its terminal, Inverness Airport is going from strength to strength.

With up to 15% of new slots at an expanded Heathrow reserved for domestic flights, it would deliver even more opportunities for greater connectivity across Scotland, benefitting both passengers and businesses.

We’ve already seen a big increase in tourism and exports following the introduction of a new Heathrow flight in 2016, and we want the vibrant city of Inverness to see an economic boost through the growth of its high performing businesses and more visitors to the cultural capital of the Highlands.

Inverness and other Scottish airports could benefit from strengthened routes to Heathrow with expansion which improve connectivity for passengers and businesses and boost the regional economy.

Goods and services exported from Scotland valued a total of £29.8 billion through over 12,000 exporters last year.

And the latest figures show Inverness Airport’s total passenger numbers increased by 92,000 last year, further illustrating the airport’s popularity and increasingly important role as a driver for the Highland region and economy.

Today the minister met the Inverness Chamber of Commerce and businesses such as Jacobite Cruises and Gordon & MacPhail whisky and distillery to discuss the growing strength of the airport and how to boost connectivity to the Highlands.

HIAL managing director Inglis Lyon, said:

We very much welcome the minister’s visit to Inverness to see for herself the work being undertaken to further improve connectivity and nurture sustainable growth. It is vital for the entire Highland region that the Heathrow link continues to thrive. We very much appreciate the opportunity to explain to the minister the importance of continued investment in aviation and associated infrastructure to maintain growth, not just in the airport, but for the wider Highland economy.

When the Heathrow flight was reintroduced in 2016 we were confident of its success and the impressive increase in passenger numbers in the years since its reintroduction shows that demand is very much there. Only by continued investment in services and infrastructure will be secure our future growth.

Following the launch of a route between the Scottish airport and Heathrow in 2016, the city has benefited from more than £8 million per year as a result of tourism according to the Inverness Chamber of Commerce.

Jacobite Cruises, the longest running cruise company on Loch Ness, reported a 12% rise in visitors just 4 months after the daily air service between Inverness and Heathrow was introduced.

The government remains on track to lay a final Airports National Policy Statement before Parliament for a vote in the first half of this year, subject to consideration of 80,000 consultation responses and the recommendations of the Transport Select Committee.

Sir Charlie Mayfield became the John Lewis Partnership’s fifth Chairman in March 2007 after joining the Partnership in 2000 as Head of Business Development, responsible for business strategy and development for both John Lewis and Waitrose. Charlie joined the Board as Development Director in 2001 and was responsible for developing the Partnership’s online strategy. He became Managing Director of John Lewis in January 2005 prior to taking up his appointment as Chairman of the Partnership in March 2007.

Charlie began his career as an officer in the army. He joined SmithKline Beecham in 1992 and became Marketing Manager for the Lucozade brand, before moving to McKinsey & Co in 1996, where he worked with consumer and retail organisations.

Charlie is Chair of the Productivity Leadership Group and is the President of the Employee Ownership Association. He is also a Trustee of Place2Be and a Director of FabIndia, and Non-Executive Chairman of QA. He received a knighthood in June 2013 for services to business.

The role is not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Charlie has declared no such political activity.

Martin Daunton is Emeritus Professor of Economic History at the University of Cambridge. He was Astor Professor of British History before moving to Cambridge in 1997, where he was Professor of Economic History from 1997 to 2015, Master of Trinity Hall from 2004 to 2014 and Head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2012 to 2015. He was President of the Royal Historical Society from 2005 to 2008, and he has experience in the world of heritage as a former Trustee of the National Maritime Museum and chairman of the Fitzwilliam Museum. He has written extensively on modern British history since the eighteenth century, including the history of cities and the built environment, as well as public finance. He is currently writing a book on the governance of the world economy since the Great Depression. He has been a Commissioner from 2014 to 2018, and is deputy chair of the Historic England Advisory Committee and chair of the Designation Review Committee.

This role is remunerated at £4,133 per annum. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Martin has declared he previously helped at an election and delivered leaflets in support of a his wife’s campaign to become a District Councillor.

Mike Ashley is a Non-executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Barclays PLC. He is also the Non-executive Chair of the Government Internal Audit Agency and his other current appointments include membership of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants and the Ethics Standards Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Mike was formerly Head of Quality and Risk Management, KPMG Europe LLP and has more than 20 years’ experience as an audit partner for several large financial services groups (most recently HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered PLC) and for the Bank of England.

This role is remunerated at £350 per day. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Mike has declared no such activity.

A government spokesperson said:

We are deeply disappointed that the US has decided to apply tariffs to steel and aluminium imports from the EU on national security grounds. The UK and other European Union countries are close allies of the US and should be permanently and fully exempted from the American measures on steel and aluminium.

We have made clear to the US government at the highest levels the importance of UK steel and aluminium to its businesses and defence projects. We will continue to work closely with the EU and US Administration to achieve a permanent exemption, and to ensure that UK workers are protected and safeguarded.