Airport chief warns MSPs of 'gaping hole' left by scrapping rail link

DROPPING the Glasgow Airport Rail Link has left a "gaping hole" in plans to improve passenger access, according to a senior Airport official.

Airport managing director Amanda McMillan has written to all 129 MSPs outlining her concerns for boosting business since the link was ditched from the SNP's spending plan in September.

Ms McMillan wants rank-and-file politicians to put pressure on ministers to find "alternatives" and safeguard financial resources.

The issue will be raised when MSPs vote on the Budget at Holyrood tomorrow.

Ms McMillan said she acknowledged the Scottish Government's obligation to taxpayers, but added: "I believe the cancellation leaves a gaping hole in the airport's surface access strategy, an issue which has a critical bearing on passenger choice. This should be a matter of concern to every MSP, regardless of party affiliation or geographic location."

The link would have connected Glasgow Central Station to the airport, near Paisley. But passengers arriving from the north and from Edinburgh to Queen Street would still have had to cross the city centre by foot or road to change stations.

In her letter, sent today, Ms McMillan argues that more than half of the airport's passengers travel from outside Glasgow and Renfrewshire.

She added: "Sadly, for many arriving and departing passengers, their experience of travelling to and from Glasgow airport is likely to be a frustrating one. Congestion on the airport's main access routes, particularly the M8, is a constraint on people travelling quickly to and from the airport."

She added: "A serious challenge remains – how to ensure continued access to an asset on which our nation's economy depends."