SNP conference motion to raise concern about ‘extreme cost’ of island flights
THE COST of flying to and from Scotland’s islands is a key factor behind a motion set to go in front of the SNP’s next conference in October.
The motion, which is supported by Shetland MSP Hannah Mary Goodlad, calls on the Scottish Government to develop a new long-term strategy for aviation in the Highlands and Islands.
It says this would be done with a “view to expanding the number of island air routes that are designated as PSOs [public service obligations] and ensuring routes and timetables meet passenger needs, increasing reliability and long-term sustainability of air services, while lowering costs for passengers”.
The motion is being proposed by SNP’s Na h-Eileanan an Iar branch in the Western Isles.
It comes after a £1 million funding package was struck between airline Loganair and the government-funded Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) to resume weekday flights from Inverness to the islands.
Loganair stopped weekday services on the loss-making routes in the summer, saying it was no longer sustainable to run without government support.
The motion recognises the support provided by the government to the communities of Barra, Tiree and Campbelltown through their PSO contract, and “welcomes the fact that 50 per cent of the cost of eligible airfares across other island routes are paid for by the Scottish Government through the Air Discount Scheme (ADS) for island residents”.
It added: “Conference however notes with concern the extreme costs that continue to face island residents and family members whether it be travelling for work, hospital appointments or family occasions.
“Conference also notes the ongoing uncertainty facing some of the seemingly less commercially viable routes on the current network, despite the critical nature of these transport connections, with a commercial operator in the position at present of making decisions on lifeline services.
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“Combined with the challenges of demographic change, the difficulties of ferry and road travel due to weather disruption in the winter, as well as the opportunities inherent in the local revitalisation and repopulation improved transport links would bring, conference believes that examples should be drawn from other countries who successfully provide lifeline air services to their islands and rural areas.”
The Stornoway Gazette recently reported how the ADS scheme cost the government £15.76 million in 2025/26 – up by around £2.5 million – but it said Loganair carried 3,000 fewer passengers eligible for the discounted fares.
However Loganair has made no secret of increasing operating costs in recent months and years, in areas such as in fuel.
ADS is applied to the core fare, with taxes, fees, charges and surcharges not eligible for a discount.
Transport Scotland previously committed to reviewing the ADS scheme to “consider how it could be made fairer and more effective, and to ensure it is providing value for money”.
The motion set to go to the SNP conference in October says that the “time has come to modernise and integrate the scheme within a wider set of reforms to Highlands and Islands air travel, to ensure that island residents pay a fair and sustainable price for vital air travel”.
Goodlad meanwhile highlighted the Scottish Government money going towards supporting aviation travel across the Highlands and Islands – “almost 70 million GBP on support for HIAL and also ADS”.
“It is my strong belief that there is a more effective way to deliver affordable connectivity, lifeline services, sustainable economic growth for Shetland and other Highland locations, along with value for money for the Scottish taxpayer,” she added.
“A high-level review of Scotland’s Highlands and Islands air services must be undertaken if we are going to find a sustainable solution. It’s time to get this right for the north.
“I have been making the case for such a strategy since day one of being elected and I am delighted to lend my support to this motion at conference.”
Euan Smith from SNP’s Na h-Eileanan an Iar branch said ADS is “no longer fit for purpose”.
“Loganair has been able to get away with charging extortionate rates for flights, leaving islanders to suffer,” he said.
“To reverse depopulation we need to have a radical rethink of how we deliver air routes to the islands. A single company shouldn’t be able to just cut a route, preventing islanders from making appointments or seeing loved ones.
“Unlike Labour, who will moan and whine with no real plan, we are ensuring islanders are heard at the heart of the SNP.”
Writing in response to a parliamentary question about island air fares earlier this summer, Scottish transport secretary Stephen Flynn however said the government has “no power to directly intervene in the operation of air services”.
Speaking last month when the £1 million funding package was agreed with HIAL, Loganair CEO Luke Farajallah said the routes “matter enormously to the people who rely on them, and we’ve never lost sight of that throughout this process”.
“We’re a privately owned airline, and keeping thin routes like these flying isn’t something we can always do alone, so we’re genuinely pleased that the Scottish Government has stepped in to make full services possible again from October,” he said.
“Our commitment to the Highlands and Islands goes back decades, and it isn’t going anywhere. We’ll keep working with HIAL and Transport Scotland to get these routes onto a footing that lasts.”
Loganair has been contacted for a comment on the motion.
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