The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
MP concern over airport shake-up
An MP has raised concerns that Inverness Airport is being given “prominence” over plans for a shake-up of air traffic control.
Western Isles representative Angus MacNeil spoke out after meeting bosses from Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (Hial) this week.
The talks were held amid anger at proposals to scrap air traffic controllers from local airports and run them all from one base, potentially Inverness.
Hial runs 11 airports at Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Islay, Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick. It employs about 55 air traffic controllers plus additional support staff across the network, and trade unions have warned that dozens of jobs could be lost if the change goes ahead.
Mr MacNeil said that Inverness Airport is the only one of the 11 airports mentioned in a scoping study by Hial.
The SNP MP said: “We all value the work of the highly skilled air traffic control staff and obviously the retention of these jobs in the islands is important and Hial have an essential role to play in sustaining airports within rural communities.
“Whilst the proposals offer some very interesting improvements in enhanced safety of the airspace in the Highlands and islands, there are concerns about the practicality of not having on-the-spot aircraft information and guidance due to lack of robust communications, a point I am glad to say Hial readily conceded.
“I am also concerned that the scoping study which Hial compiled for ‘options for consideration’ mentions Inverness Airport twice and doesn’t mention any other airport in the area.
“This would seem to be a clear signpost to anyone involved of the direction of travel in the Hial mind-set. It does raise the question why one airport is given prominence over the other regional airports.”