Businessman slams HIAL over airport cutbacks
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A CAITHNESS businessman claims he has been fighting against Highlands and Islands Airways Ltd (HIAL) for two decades to bring new business to Wick Airport.
Far North Aviation owner Andrew Bruce insists that HIAL has been nothing but trouble for him since he set up shop in 1991 and recent cutbacks in opening times have leaked more trade from the far north airfield.
But HIAL insists Wick is open for business as usual and is "puzzled" by Mr Bruce’s claims.
"The problem with HIAL is that everything it says to me and you is a completely different from what is actually going on," said Mr Bruce .
"Since I came here in 1991, it seems that its remit has been to ‘keep Wick down’.
"Every single move that I have made to bring business to this airfield – and I can assure you it’s considerable – has been blocked."
Despite making more than £1m in yearly turnover from his refuelling and servicing business at the aerodrome, Mr Bruce claims the airport operator has stifled potential new growth both for his business and the local economy.
The air traffic control – or the shortage of it – is one of the main problems currently facing Mr Bruce.
The airport is currently running with the minimum of three controllers which has already led to closures on Friday mornings and all day Saturday.
HIAL puts the closures down to "sudden and unexpected changes to air traffic control staffing levels".
Mr Bruce said: "This is not "business as usual, it’s just running it on a cliff edge.
"My salary is dependent on what comes down on that Tarmac – theirs is completely irrelevant to that.
"If they miss a plane, their payment stays the same."
HIAL declined to comment on what had caused the change to staffing levels, citing a duty of care agreement with its employees.
When asked if the airport’s fire and rescue crew were losing income due to the cut in opening hours, HIAL said there had been "no change to any employee’s terms and conditions."
Initially fighting the closures back in February this year, Mr Bruce turned for support to his customers, the helicopter operators for the west of Shetland and Beatrice oil fields, including BP North Sea; the Wood Group through Bond Offshore Helicopters and the Bristow Group.
Every response indicated that the Saturday closures would have a negative impact – from safety concerns at the Beatrice to the future use of Wick as a refuelling base.
But the HIAL spokesman said it has received no feedback from the private sector to suggest that their business interests have in any way been compromised by the closures.
Just this week, the controversial Saturday closure had to be overturned after Mr Bruce highlighted to airport chiefs that Babcock Dounreay Partnership’s top executives wanted to fly out of Wick on a private charter at the weekend.
HIAL’s top tier of management intervened to ensure that there would air traffic control and fire cover on hand to cover tomorrow’s departure.
Mr Bruce said this is an example of the steps he has to take every day to get business.
Should the chartered flight not have been secured, it would have lost HIAL over £800 in income from charges and Mr Bruce around £1000 in fuel and ground handling.
But HIAL claims that it is only looking after the public purse and it would continue to accommodate unscheduled flights as and when necessary.
"Wick Airport is an important economic enabler for the region and we recognise that many companies, like Far North Aviation, rely heavily on the airport for their livelihoods," said a HIAL spokesman.
"We have made it clear that we are prepared to open the airport for private charter flights by special arrangement, where it is commercially viable for us to do so, and providing staffing levels allow for this.
"As a public sector organisation, we must ensure that we make best use of our limited resources and deliver value for money for the taxpayer.
"Keeping the airport open when there are no scheduled services does not represent best use of taxpayers’ money."
Mr Bruce’s main business comes from refuelling helicopters and stop-offs from ferry flights – recently purchased planes being moved from one part of the world to another with no passengers.
The experienced pilot started bringing the two main types of airline fuel into Wick in 1991 and within six months, movements were up 709 per cent at the airport.
Mr Bruce believes that as the airport became busier, income went up and subsequently the grant HIAL receives from the government as part of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 went down.
Every time a ferry flight hits the runway at Wick, it means more money in the bank for Mr Bruce.
One of the key breakthroughs in Mr Bruce’s battle happened around a year ago when after a 20 year struggle he convinced Atlantic Airlines to use Wick as a back-up landing area when the Faroes were fog-bound, instead of diverting to Scandinavia.
"We’ve had seven flights since last year and each one that’s come in has been £25,000 hitting the tarmac for Caithness," said the aviation boss.
"I get the profit from the fuel, HIAL gets the passenger tax and the landing fee, the local hotels get the accommodation and the food, and the local buses get the transport from the various hotels.
"So everybody gets a slice of the cake."
"But you wouldn’t believe the problems I’ve had to do that."
HIAL says that not a single flight has been turned away during the closure periods and the number of flights handled in this time has not changed.
