News / Airport hangar door to be replaced over safety fears
SHETLAND Islands Council (SIC) is set to spend £100,000 on replacing the hangar door at Tingwall Airport over fears it is becoming unsafe.
The large door, which is of an “up and over” style, was made by the same company whose door fell at a music venue in Guildford in 2013, killing two people.
The company – Express Hi-Fold Doors Limited – has since folded after being fined £30,000 over the incident for breaching health and safety laws.
Airport operator SIC, which has its inter-island flights to the likes of Fair Isle and Papa Stour delivered by Airtask, said the hangar door is showing signs of wear on its hydraulic rams and it needs to be completely replaced as finding new parts would prove extremely difficult.
Infrastructure director Maggie Sandison said weather has also put pressure on the door, which has been receiving monthly inspections since the wear was found.
A total of £100,000 has been allocated for the new door as part of the SIC’s 2018/19 budget, which was approved on Wednesday.
“If we don’t do something it could deteriorate further. We wouldn’t want to leave it,” Sandison said.
She added that the door is of a different design to the one which killed two people – including a member of the Fisherman’s Friend shanty group – in 2013.
SIC transport committee chairman Ryan Thomson said he supported the decision as the “safety of our staff and the public is the number one priority”.
The issue was raised at Monday’s policy and resources committee with some concerns over why money will be spent on a new door if questions remain over the future of Tingwall Airport.
Sandison told councillors that as it was a safety issue it would need to be dealt with now.
A review of inter-island flight operations in Shetland, meanwhile, is expected to come back with results in May, with speculation that services could be moved to Scatsta or Sumburgh if Tingwall is no longer deemed viable.
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