Birmingham Airport has dismissed Government claims that a high-speed railway would put a stop to domestic flights and said it would continue to operate short-haul flights in direct competition with the rail network.

The hub said the aviation industry was likely to compete against the Government's proposed London to Scotland route designed to kill off short-haul f lights.

Airport spokesman John Morris said that the public would see a "transformation in service and quality" comparable to the cross-channel ferries when the Channel Tunnel was developed. He claimed that when it came to high-speed trips to Scotland and Europe, air travel was better for the environment than trains.

The remarks were made after Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said: "For reasons of carbon reduction and wider environmental benefits, it is manifestly in the public interest that we systematically replace short-haul aviation with high-speed rail. But we would have to have, of course, the high-speed network before we can do it."

He revealed that the high-speed line from London to the West Midlands would be built by 2020 with the pounds 7 billion funding possibly coming from a publicprivate partnership.

High Speed Two, a company set up by the Government and led by Sir David Rowlands, is due to publish a report on the route, including a framework to extend the line to Scotland, by the end of the year.