The UK’s transport secretary said Brexit could “create opportunities” for the north-east during a visit to Aberdeen Airport’s newly refurbished terminal yesterday.
Chris Grayling toured the new facilities with the airport’s managing director Carol Benzie, who highlighted the benefits the £20million terminal expansion could have for the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire economy.
Mr Grayling said that as the country moves towards leaving the European Union, Aberdeen could be set to benefit from global markets.
A recent study from the London School of Economics suggested that Aberdeen’s economy could fall by 7% following a hard Brexit – the equivalent of around £3.8billion.
The transport secretary said: “None of us campaigned to leave the European Union to turn the United Kingdom into an inward-focused, ‘little Britain’ nation.
“We want Britain to be a champion of free trade around the world, and Aberdeen is a global city, and part of a global industry.
“I think as we expand our trade ties around the world, and as we drive to be a more dynamic, enterprising country, it’s only going to create opportunities for cities like Aberdeen.
“A really important part of the future of the United Kingdom is better global links, and those links will come through airports like Heathrow and Aberdeen as we become more globally trade-focused and work to tackle our long-standing trade deficit.”
Recommended for you
