HIAL: car park charge ‘helps to minimise subsidy requirement’

THE OPERATOR of Sumburgh Airport has responded to concerns from local politicians over the reintroduction of its £3-a-day car parking charge.

The government-owned Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) said the income stream from the charge will “minimise the subsidy requirement and ultimately reduce the cost to the taxpayer”.

The charge is set to be brought back on 20 August after new barrier equipment is installed.

Previous equipment had been affected by technical issues which were said to be exacerbated by “harsh weather”.

It was taken out of service in May 2024, with the fee waived since then.

But both Shetland Islands Council leader Emma Macdonald and Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart spoke out against the reintroduction – with the latter calling for it to be scrapped.

They pointed to the location of the airport at the southern end of the mainland and said it was not easily accessible by public transport for folk living across Shetland.

Advertisement3 of 10

HIAL did not provide a response to the concerns at the time, but on Tuesday director of airport operations Andrew Farquhar offered a statement.

“Like many other organisations, we face significant financial pressures in maintaining and developing the infrastructure and services that our passengers expect,” he said.

“As a public body operating 11 airports, one of our priorities is to increase commercial revenue to reinvest in our services and reduce public subsidy.

“The return from car parking at our airports provides an income stream that will help to minimise the subsidy requirement and ultimately reduce the cost to the taxpayer.”

A freedom of information request made by Wishart showed that before the Covid pandemic, in 2019/20, the charge made £86,524.

It also highlighted how that income generated from Sumburgh Airport that year was around £6 million.

However the figures showed the airport effectively runs at an operating loss – nearly £2.9 million in 2023/24, for instance.

HIAL receives annual funding from the Scottish Government to run its 11 airports.