The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Jobs pledge on remote control of our airports
Hial boss says single site operation won’t result in net jobs loss
The boss of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (Hial) has given an assurance there will be no net job losses as a result of their plans to handle air traffic control for seven airports from a single site.
Managing director of the airport operator, Inglis Lyon, said 75 roles will be created over the next 10 to 15 years as the £28-30 million remote camera technology system is phased in.
He also revealed that a decision will be taken in July on the location for
“75 jobs will be affected at the start and we will end with 75”
the new operations centre which would be at one of the Hial airports, including the possibility of Dundee.
Mr Lyon spoke yesterday at a two-day exhibition at the UHI campus in Inverness to showcase the technology from a number of leading industry players.
He said: “When we start the project there will be 75 staff affected and when we finish the number of jobs will remain exactly the same.
“This is not a cost-saving exercise.
“Once we decide on the location, we will work to minimise the impact on staff. There will be some staff coming up to retirement and some young members of staff who may want to transfer to the new site.”
Mr Lyon said the new technology is being brought in to “future proof ” its operations.
The context is one of challenges with staff recruitment and retention, increasing regulation in the industry, more air traffic demand and more pressures on costs.
He said the exhibition is about “demystifying” the product which has previously been criticised for potentially jeopardising people’s safety.
He added: “Our overriding priority is and will always be to deliver safe and secure air navigation services that will keep our airports open for local communities for the long term.”
Swedish airports at Ornskoldsvik and Sundsvall became the first in the world to be controlled by a digital tower control in Sundsvall in 2015.
Yesterday Per Ahl, vice president and head of marketing and sales for Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions, assured him that their systems in Sweden are designed to be resilient and comply with cyber security best practices.
He said that Saab even hired two different organisations to carry out mock cyber attacks, without being told when and how, on the system over a three- month period and it passed the test.
Mr Ahl added: “We take it very seriously and it’s a very important element of what we do.
“For Hial as a potential customer we would be able to hold their hands and reuse the experience from Sweden.”
The new operation centre will be responsible for air traffic management at Hial airports at Sumburgh in Shetland, Inverness, Wick, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Benbecula and Dundee.
Mr Lyon said that, after a decision is made in July, they will go to procurement and aim to have chosen a supplier after a year before moving ahead with installing the cameras.
Airports at Barra, Tiree, Islay and Campbeltown have different levels of air traffic usage and will not be affected by the changes.
More than 1.7 million people used Hial airports in 2017 and the Scottish Government-owned airport operator employs about 600 people at its 11 airports and head offices.