Inverness to islands flights to be restored after £1m Government funding

The Scottish Government has confirmed flights from Inverness to the islands will be restored later this year.

Loganair reduced services last month due to sustainability concerns and said they could return to normal in October if funding of £1.3 million was made available.

The Scottish Government has now announced it will provide more than £1 million to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (Hial) for the full restoration of island air services operating from Inverness.

The funding will reinstate the frequency of air services connecting Inverness to Lewis, Orkney and Shetland and will start from October 26.

Economy, tourism and transport secretary Stephen Flynn said: “I am pleased the Scottish Government has confirmed over £1m of funding to support the full recommencement of air services connecting Inverness to Stornoway, Kirkwall and Sumburgh.

“Hial and Loganair have worked collaboratively through commercial discussions to restart these services from October 26, providing greater certainty to passengers.

“Transport Scotland will now work with Hial and industry stakeholders to discuss next steps for a sustainable, long-term solution to protect Highlands and islands air services for those who rely on them.”

The funding comes after the Scottish Parliament’s Transport Committee wrote to Flynn in June following an evidence session with island communities, Loganair and Hial.

Committee convener Willie Rennie, a Liberal Democrat MSP, said the funding is a “step in the right direction”.

He said: “This investment will be a positive outcome for the island communities who made powerful and compelling representations to the Transport Committee. From the evidence we heard, it is clear that a longer-term plan for aviation will need to be considered as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan.

“The Scottish Government needs to continue working closely with transport providers and our island communities to ensure a longer-term solution. We will continue to monitor developments in this area. However, for now, this is a step in the right direction.”

Luke Farajallah, chief executive at Loganair, said the airline will work to ensure the routes are “on to a footing that lasts”.

He said: “These 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.

“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 on to a footing that lasts.”