There was a time not too long ago when going on holiday from Scotland was harder than it should’ve been.
Most destinations required a connecting flight via London and prices were sky-high.
Over the last 20 years, Glasgow and Edinburgh have transformed themselves into international hubs with direct services to New York, Canada, Dubai and dozens of European destinations.
That has been great news for travellers and for the economy, with tens of thousands of jobs created in everything from engineering to tourism.
But AGS Airports CEO Derek Provan has warned that decades of progress is now at risk.
Yes, the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked unavoidable havoc – but he has pointed the finger of blame directly at the Scottish Government for failing to engage with industry leaders and chart a route out of the crisis.
A promised working group has not even held a meeting while a similar Westminster taskforce is firing on all cylinders and has set a date to report to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
That has left airlines turning their backs on Scotland and putting resources into English routes instead.
This is just the latest failing of a Scottish Government which appears to be stumbling from one disaster to the next.
It has emerged an OECD report on our floundering education system will not be released until after the election – despite a draft being in the hands of Education Secretary John Swinney.
This from a government which demanded to be judged on its performance improving schools.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Mail has revealed prosecutors were forced to threaten a raid on government offices after ministers failed to comply with a search warrant in the Alex Salmond case.
For a party once admired for its iron discipline, there are undeniable cracks emerging in the SNP’s armour.
It will be worrying Nicola Sturgeon that this now appears to be feeding through to opinion polls as she prepares for the most important election of her career in May.
The Nationalists will win but, unless they get their act together, an all-important majority could elude them.
