Investment into air travel
Massive investment has been pledged to develop and extend
Edinburgh Airport, subject to planning and environmental
assessments. More than £220m has been spent upgrading terminal and
airfield facilities over the last decade, including a new £11m air
traffic control tower. From 2007, another £300m was earmarked for
infrastructure investment over the next ten years to cope with the
predicted doubling of passenger numbers. This will include extra
terminal capacity for check-in, baggage reclaim, departure lounge
and boarding gate facilities, plus additional airfield taxiways,
aircraft stands and hangar facilities. Edinburgh Airport’s Master
Plan also states BAA Edinburgh’s commitment to build a second
runway, should this be required in the future.
A tram network is currently being constructed in Edinburgh
which, by 2011, will link the airport with the growing areas of
Edinburgh’s waterfront, the west of Edinburgh and the city centre.
The tram will also stop at Haymarket railway station. An efficient
and popular bus service already exists from the airport.
In September 2007, the Scottish Government announced a proposal
to add a new train station at Gogar, which is close to Edinburgh
airport, on the Fife railway line. This will allow passengers from
Fife and further north to easily and quickly access the airport, by
connecting with the tram service.
