ISLANDERS and MSPs have warned trust in Loganair has been damaged despite the restoration of key flights, as calls grow for a long-term overhaul of air connections across the Highlands and Islands.
Last week, the Scottish Government announced more than £1 million in funding for Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), allowing the full frequency of flights from Inverness to Stornoway, Kirkwall and Sumburgh to be restored from October 26.
The decision reversed cuts made by Loganair over the summer which had left islanders facing difficulties travelling for work, healthcare and to see family.
However, Lewis resident Murdo MacRitchie, who previously told The National about the impact of the reduced Stornoway-Inverness service, welcomed the funding but said it should be viewed as a temporary “patch” rather than the end of the issue.
“Trust in Loganair has undoubtedly been impacted”, he said, pointing to what he described as “zero meaningful consultation with the public”.
MacRitchie said he was also concerned that there had been no commitment to improve the timetable on the Stornoway-Inverness route.
He said: “Even with the extra money I see no commitment from Loganair to develop timetables that can better unlock the Stornoway-Inverness service.
“They withdrew the service over the summer months only to reinstate during the lower demand winter periods – it’s so poor.”
He accused Loganair of effectively putting “a gun to the Scottish Government’s head” over the needs of its customers and questioned why public money had been required to restore the services.
Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn said in July that ministers would not intervene to fund the flights, arguing they were commercial services over which the Scottish Government had no direct power.
However, the Government then changed course, providing more than £1m to HIAL to restore the connections following weeks of cross-party campaigning.
“It’s a good patch but the whole thing needs a proper framework and strategy,” MacRitchie added.
“These routes badly need a better timetable to unlock them. Loganair just don’t seem interested.”
Concerns that the funding should not represent a permanent solution have also been echoed by several Islands MSPs.
Scottish Greens Highlands and Islands MSP Kristopher Leask welcomed the Government intervention but said the situation “should never have reached this point in the first place”.
He told The National: “Local communities will still face months of reduced connectivity after services were withdrawn with little meaningful consultation and significant consequences for patients, NHS staff, businesses and families.
“This funding must be a bridge towards a lasting solution.”
Leask called for a comprehensive review covering routes, fares, timetables, public funding and consultation with island communities.
He added: “Island communities cannot continue to be left to face the brunt of commercial decisions, with lifeline connections only restored once public money is found.
“There must be a lasting and resilient response that puts lifeline connections for communities before profit.”
Leask recently partnered up with Shetland MSP Hannah Mary Goodlad to work towards a better integrated transport system in northern Scotland.
Their initiative will involve regional transport bodies like Loganair in order to map out the first steps to establish a northern Scotland air transport plan.
Goodlad told The National it was now time to move beyond a “piecemeal approach” to regional aviation.
She said: “We must look at this holistically and gather all stakeholders together – public and private – to develop a long-term, equitable and sustainable solution for aviation across the region.”
SNP Highlands and Islands MSP Maree Todd also acknowledged that confidence in the services had been damaged.
She said: “While this funding will enable services to resume from October, I recognise that islanders have lost confidence in the reliability of these links.
“It is essential that we build resilience into the network and work to deliver a long-term plan that rebuilds trust and gives island communities confidence in the future of the services they rely on.”
Announcing the restoration of the routes, Flynn said HIAL and Loganair had worked together to restart the services and provide “greater certainty to passengers”.
He added that Transport Scotland would now work with HIAL and industry stakeholders on “a sustainable, long-term solution to protect Highlands and Islands air services for those who rely on them”.
Loganair chief executive Luke Farajallah said: "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."
