Securing the remaining passenger air route to London is key to the future of Dundee Airport, according to a Scottish Government action plan.
The link is “top priority” in a report (PDF link) which also looks at securing income, increasing passenger numbers and creating new routes.
A longer-term vision for the city airport could involve companies working in offshore renewable energy and securing other routes, such as to Amsterdam.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “The airport faces a challenge in the increasingly competitive aviation market, so it’s important we look at all the available options to encourage more passengers and businesses to use it.
“Securing the future of the service between Dundee and London is the top priority for the airport and the Scottish Government.
“This study also highlights a number of commercial opportunities, like engaging with companies in the offshore renewables sector, which could give Dundee Airport a unique place in Scotland’s aviation industry.”
Short-term recommendations such as retaining London flights and boosting passenger numbers are estimated to cost between £125,000 and £150,000.
The estimated cost of medium-term initiatives, such as expanding business links and air routes, is around £250,000 in each of the following two years.
A “modest investment” would be needed to make the airport suitable for helicopters if it is to be positioned as a construction and servicing base for wind turbine projects off the east coast, the report states.
“This is a big agenda but, as anyone in the aviation industry in the UK will recognise, closing down an airport and losing a runway is a significant issue affecting connectivity, infrastructure capability and potentially requiring significant cost,” the report concludes.
“It is therefore far better to explore and test the alternative avenues before any such final decision is reached.”
Subsidy levels are already estimated at about £2.7 million a year, following the loss of Belfast and Birmingham flights, and could rise to £3.5 million if CityJet withdraws its London City service.
While only one commercial flight to London remains, business traffic is growing, the report shows.
Attempts to get other airlines interested will require persistence, the report adds.
“Dundee is not an easy ‘sell’ but if the issue of whether there is a market to be served at all is to be bottomed out once and for all, there is a requirement for this effort to be given appropriate priority and funding,” it notes.
Dundee City Council leader Ken Guild highlighted the London link.
“We are especially keen that this service is retained and we are working hard to achieve this,” he said.
“The council is pleased that this new report identifies methods and options that can be put in place to help support the facility.”
Inglis Lyon, managing director of operator Highlands and Islands Airports, said the Dundee hub has competitive challenges.
“However, there are opportunities which we are currently pursuing to attract new business to the airport, including renewables and general aviation, and efforts to attract new scheduled services continue,” he said.
The Scottish Government says it will consider all the recommendations in the report.
For more reaction to the report, see Saturday’s Courier or try our digital edition.