Rescue unit is essential

Sir, – I was concerned to read in Saturday’s Courier that HIAL are reviewing the provision of water rescue craft at Dundee Airport and six other airports (“Dundee Airport could lose emergency craft”, Courier, December 8).

With Dundee Airport positioned right on the banks of the River Tay a rapid water rescue capability is essential in the case of an accident.

The main approach to Runway 09 passes directly over Invergowrie Bay, for Runway 27 is mostly over the river estuary and the visual circuits for Runways 09 and 27 are almost totally over water to the south of the runway.

This is to avoid aircraft flying at lower heights over the built up area to the north of the airport.

The airport’s water rescue equipment used to consist of a small hovercraft which could respond quickly whatever the state of the tide.

It coped well with water and mud flats.

This was replaced with a boat for high water and a multi-wheel buggy for mud at low tide.

The firefighters are on site and ready to respond immediately to any incident during the airport operating hours.

If an aircraft crashed into the river, the nearest lifeboat station able to respond is at Broughty Ferry.

Due to crew response times and the distance involved the lifeboat would take much longer to respond to an incident close to the airport than the airport’s own rescue team.

It might take too long for anybody needing rescuing.

The Courier article said that the HIAL board were told that there had only been one incident in 30 years, which happened at Shetland in 2013.

Someone in HIAL has a very short memory because there was an accident at Dundee in October 2003 when an aircraft crashed into the river and the four people on board were rescued by the Dundee Airport hovercraft – before the Broughty Ferry lifeboat reached the accident.

Water rescue capability is an absolute necessity at Dundee and I’m sure that a true public consultation would confirm people’s desire for it to be available at all times that the airport is operating. Gareth James. 18 Challum Crescent, Broughty Ferry.