Edward Mountain: £9m spent on shelved air traffic control plans
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Holyrood Notebook by Edward Mountain
It is clear the Highlands and Islands desperately needs better infrastructure, but the SNP government is letting our region down badly.
The SNP’s record is dismal, whether it’s massively overspending taxpayer’s money on projects which are yet to be delivered, such as the two unfinished ferries in Port Glasgow, or overpromising on targets which have not been met, such as the delayed rollout of superfast broadband.
It is now clear that we can also add another example to the growing list of troubled projects from this government.
As 2021 drew to a close, an announcement was snuck out that the tender exercise for the remote tower technology at Highlands and Islands Airports (Hial) had been effectively cancelled.
First announced back in January 2018, Hial envisioned that this project would change the way air traffic services would be delivered across its seven airports. The introduction of digital technology would mean air traffic control services would be centralised to a single location in Inverness.
From the outset these proposals were deeply controversial and didn’t have the full support of islanders or, indeed, of Hial’s air traffic controllers. Industrial action resulted but Hial still stuck to their original plans.
When I visited the Air Traffic Control Tower at Inverness Airport back in 2018, I could see why Hial thought this new system could be world-leading. However, it was clear to me that it was also going to be expensive, and the technology was unproven in the Highlands.
Nevertheless, Hial continued to push on with the project and splashed the cash by purchasing New Century House in Inverness at the cost of £2.6 million in 2020.
Little over a year later and Hial has now agreed to go back to the drawing board over its proposals. That’s not before they had spent a total of £9 million though, which is an eye-watering sum for a shelved project.
Lessons must be learnt from this episode and serious questions must now be asked. Firstly, why did Hial rush headlong into pursuing such controversial plans and how much of the £9 million can be recouped? Secondly, why didn’t the Scottish Government step in sooner and suspend the project? Finally, is it time for the decision makers responsible to consider their positions?
Communities deserve the answers to these questions before the SNP government and Hial begin devising an alternative solution for air traffic control in our region.
We cannot afford another expensive proposal which is ill-thought through and that would do very little to improve the transport connectivity our communities desperately need.
The future of air travel in the Highlands and Islands is too crucial for our region’s economic recovery to get wrong.
Rest assured, I will be pressing the SNP government and Hial to ensure that future upgrades to air traffic infrastructure must not only produce value for money but also ensure the safety and sustainability of our local airports in the region.
The best solution will be the one that safeguards the long-term viability of all our region’s airports and, vitally, has the backing of passengers, local communities and air traffic controllers.
- Edward Mountain is a Highlands and Islands list MSP for the Scottish Conservatives.
