...and now we may be building another runway to service "the regions" , slight problem those regions may be in a new Country in 2 weeks.
Will Scotland really want to use LHR as much as those who want RW3 say they will, I doubt it given tonight's news. It's arrogance to think so.
And where on earth is Davies this has to be a significant change !
It’s not a significant change for the Airports Commission, Scottish secession has no bearing on the need for LHR expansion.
Whatever the result of the referendum on the 18th, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are all going to be the same distance from London as they are today (roughly as far as Cologne/Bonn and Frankfurt, respectively).
Why would you expect the loads on those routes to reduce just because you need to start carrying your passport?
why would you need to carry passport....am sure agreement will be struck on that similar to inter euroland...and anyway most pax ex scotland probably all carry passport to LHR as on connecting flights...and just about all who fly EZY etc are passport carriers ex Scotland to LUT/LGW/STN etc etc...
Nivs..... There may be no option,but to carry your passport if the vote goes for independence.
It's not been debated, but the chances are that a breakaway Scotland would be part of the Common Travel Area with the UK and Ireland.
Part of Alex's aim is to re-join the EU, so signing up to the Euro is mandatory for ALL new entrants - non negotiable. (Which he conveniently forgets). Plus a whole host of other conditions, some negotiable, some not, including Schengen. Hence it may well be necessary to carry your passport, or national ID card to fly between the two.
Nothing is "non-negotiable". If a separated Scotland was re-admitted to the EU (i.e. Spain or any other country did not use a veto), would imagine that Salmond would ask for a very similar deal to that of the UK.
If it was not granted, Salmond could walk away. After all, two out of the three countries in the so-called "arc of prosperity" which he wishes to be part of, are outside the EU.
I don't claim to be an expert on all the implications of the Schengen Agreement on border controls, but I believe that there are different, probably bi-lateral, arrangements at land borders than operate at air or sea ports. So it's possible that there may be no need for a passport to drive across the border, but it will be needed to fly.
A country can be a recent member of the EU and not in the eurozone (by never joining the ERM) and not in Schengen (by never having secure borders) even if in theory they're obliged to join both.
The corollary is also that a yes vote might well force the issue for a UK-wide introduction of ID cards.
Both Labour and Conservative governments have tried to introduce identity cards (encouraged by the EU of course) and both came badly unstuck, and rightly so.