Tourism development chief keen to see solution to flight cuts
VISITSCOTLAND’s island development manager says he hopes that a solution can be found for the reduction in flights between Shetland, Orkney and Inverness that “suits residents, visitors and the airline”.
Steve Mathieson said from a tourism perspective, VisitScotland is “keen to see the widest possible variety of routes into Scotland and its regions maintained”.
Meanwhile chair of Shetland Islands Council’s environmental and transport committee, Moraig Lyall, has renewed her appeal for the “key players” in the situation to work together to find a solution.
It was revealed earlier this month that Loganair will reduce its Sumburgh-Kirkwall-Inverness service to weekends only, with passengers with bookings soon receiving cancellation emails.
In a statement released on Thursday, Loganair chief executive Luke Farajallah said the service could be reinstated from October – but only if additional funding was found.
Describing it as a loss-making route, he put the ball in the government’s court to provide the necessary funding and long-term stability to protect vulnerable air services.
Farajallah said Loganair has worked closely with government-owned airport operator HIAL, Transport Scotland and others to “explore every available option”.
“The shortfall in the proposal put forward was disappointing, but we remain ready and willing to return to the previous level of flying if a sustainable funding solution can be agreed and we want Transport Scotland and the government to move quickly in the interest of islanders,” he said.
Commenting on the situation, VisitScotland’s Steve Mathieson was hopeful of a solution being found, and said the tourism agency was keen to see flight capacity kept at a maximum, thus “avoiding knockoff effects on other transport providers”.
“Making it easier for visitors to reach us helps make Shetland, and indeed Scotland a must-visit, must-return destination,” he said.
“However, we recognise that individual carriers may need to base decisions regarding the services they provide on a number of factors, including commercial viability.”
Meanwhile councillor Moraig Lyall, who also chairs Shetland’s external transport forum, said she met Loganair’s head of government and corporate affairs Simon McNamara on Wednesday.
“He was clear that the flights to Kirkwall and Inverness can, from their perspective, only be reinstated if sufficient support is forthcoming,” she said.
“So while it is encouraging to hear that they stand ready to restart flights in October I believe that will be dependent on the Scottish Government, HIAL, Transport Scotland and the airline getting together to thrash out a way forward to ensure that that happens.
“Openness from all sides about the challenges they face and what they can bring to the table is essential to find a support mechanism that works for all parties.
“Making the route more affordable for travellers will help increase passenger numbers.
“Loss of these flights may add more pressure on the capacity issues of the NorthLink as people are forced to use alternative routes.
“Our ability to attract and retain people in Shetland relies on good connectivity and every route is an important component of the network that allows folk to access education, employment, essential services and social connections.”
In his statement Farajallah said the decision to cut services had been “one of the hardest we have had to make”
He also said it was “set against one of the most difficult trading periods the airline industry has seen in recent years with fuel prices doubling in May alone”.
At a recent meeting of Shetland’s external transport forum the increase in the cost of fuel, ignited by the US-Iran conflict, was discussed.
Rising costs had resulted in Loganair increasing its fuel surcharge.
Increasing maintenance costs and a lack of available aircraft parts were also partly blamed for the Sumburgh-Dundee-Heathrow air service being scrapped from September onwards.
However, Loganair is exploring alternative London airports to fly into from Dundee.
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