Islay

ISLAY has been crowned the fastest growing Highland and Islands Airport, with more than 1,000 extra passengers using the runway this quarter, according to Highland and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL).

This is a 12.2 per cent increase compared to 2014. In the same quarter, two aircraft were commissioned by HIAL and began operating from Glasgow to Barra, Campbeltown and Tiree.

Tiree and Barra both had a rise in demand, with 294 more passengers using the Tiree route and 36 more flying to Barra. However, Campbeltown had a 458 reduction, with 14.1 per cent fewer people using the airport.

Inglis Lyon, Managing Director of HIAL, said: ‘These are strong figures for the quarter and show that demand on most services and at most airports is increasing.

‘The success of smaller island airports such as Islay, Benbecula and Tiree illustrates the important role that aviation plays in connecting remote and island communities. The arrival this summer of two new aircraft serving Barra, Campbeltown and Tiree is further good news for those communities.’