New anger over HIAL ‘remote towers’ air traffic control plan
Politicians across the Highlands and Islands have voiced renewed concern over possible changes to air traffic control.
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd proposes to centralise air traffic control services in Inverness by using ‘remote towers’.
Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron is supporting calls for a debate in the Scottish Parliament on the plans to centralise air traffic control in the region, which would lead to air traffic controllers removed from island airports.
Mr Cameron has supported a motion by Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart, which aims to hold a Member’s Business debate on the changes which are being proposed by Highlands and Islands
Airport Limited (HIAL).
The Scottish Conservative MSP, a regular user of HIAL services in the region, said: ‘Airports like Barra, Benbecula and Stornoway in the Western Isles, and Campbeltown, Islay and Tiree in Argyll and Bute, are crucial parts of our transport infrastructure.
‘As HIAL is wholly owned by the Scottish Government, I wish to hear a justification directly from the minister for these proposals which have caused so much concern, not least from HIAL employees.
‘It is vitally important that changes of this nature are subject to thorough scrutiny. The focus should be on providing a better service rather than just saving money.
‘The Scottish Government’s track record on our ferry service has left much to be desired and I wish to ensure that it doesn’t make a hash of our air links as well.’
Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil said: ‘HIAL has named this high risk and costly option as “remote towers” when in actual fact it is the centralisation of air traffic control, meaning high-value island jobs going to Inverness.
‘The Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament committees, particularly the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, should be scrutinising this proposal line-by-line because it has huge implications, not only for transport but for the community in the Western Isles. We know that air traffic control has a difficulty with recruitment and retention, but this is not the case in the island areas – when they recruit locally, they do retain locally.
‘There is a huge risk that if air traffic control is centralised in Inverness that all air traffic controllers could be lost from Inverness as they are in demand globally and we would find ourselves without air traffic control anywhere in the HIAL network. This is an ill-conceived proposal which HIAL has somehow taken regardless of the warning voices from everyone else.’
Argyll and Bute MSP Michael Russell said: ‘HIAL has kept elected members up to speed on the plans as they have developed and been willing to answer questions.
‘None the less, it would be important that the public are fully informed and confident about what is being proposed so I would support further engagement by HIAL on a wide basis and a public discussion about whether such a change is what people want and expect in areas that rely heavily on air traffic and in which high quality employment is a vital bulwark against depopulation.’