Caithness oil worker hits out over flight timetable
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AN offshore worker depending on air travel between Wick and Aberdeen has blasted Eastern Airways for reducing its timetable to just one flight a day on the route.
Andrew Gunn, from Lybster, says he is concerned that the reduction of flights from two to just one a day is a "nail in the coffin" for Wick John O'Groats Airport and fears it as part of an overall operation to "run down" the service.
Eastern Airways changed its Flybe aircraft timetable last week for a new winter schedule, saying that the service was "operating at a loss".
The firm has also had to pay out compensation claims over past winters for delays and cancellations and said it was “no longer willing to underwrite such losses”.
The new season's schedule started last Monday and will remain in place until March next year.
"My concern is that the removal of this flight is another nail in the coffin for Wick airport," Mr Gunn said.
"Although I can appreciate that the route is not that busy, it is ideal for people like myself who have to travel for work – I go offshore – and for hospital appointments and suchlike."
He went on to point out that the newly scheduled flights were at a "very inconvenient" time of the day which meant there would be an extra half-day spent "hanging around" Aberdeen to get a flight home.
He said that although he could travel by car he felt it was not a good time of year to be travelling by road.
In a letter sent out to local politicians and councillors, he said he was disappointed that the airline's management had not responded to his questions and he asked them to help reverse the decision by Eastern Airways.
North MSP Gail Ross said she had been in discussions with Eastern Airways for months and had had done her best "to persuade them that this will have massive negative consequences for the area".
Mrs Ross said: "Unfortunately, this has all fallen on deaf ears and they went ahead with the cut anyway. We are currently looking at other options.
"Please believe me when I say that Wick airport is high up on my list of priorities and I am still working with the aforementioned organisations to find solutions to both lifeline services."
Mrs Ross recently launched a consultation on a proposed bill to address the needs of rural areas and hopes that remote mainland communities such as Caithness will have the kind of protection Scotland's islands already have.
Last week she asked Scotland's transport secretary Michael Matheson if the Scottish Government would "consider the introduction of a public service obligation from Wick before further failures to ensure that the region remains connected to the rest of mainland Scotland".
Mr Matheson said the government was committed to funding an Air Discount Scheme benefiting remote and rural communities and subsidising airport charges. He said he was open to dialogue that would "maintain and improve air connectivity to Wick where that is feasible".
Roger Hage, Eastern Airways’ operations manager, said: “Over 18 years, Eastern Airways has invested £4.5 million in support. However, as this service continues to sustain losses, and we enter a period of the year where adverse weather can significantly impact on our operation increasing care and assistance costs under EU261, we are no longer as a commercial business willing to underwrite such losses during the winter months.
"Following considerable dialogue, which remains ongoing between all air service key stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, there is little willingness to offer the Caithness airport and its routes comparable status to similar remote airports elsewhere in Scotland other than the Air Discount Scheme."
Mr Hage said that dialogue with stakeholders would go on, however, to explore all ways of aiding better air services for the region that are "financially viable and sustainable" for the longer term.
