Operators insist Wick Airport has bright future
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WICK Airport has a strong future, Caithness councillors have been assured after they expressed concern about the "deeply damaging" decision by the operators to reduce its opening hours.
The councillors hit out after Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) decided to close the airport for part of Friday and all day Saturday due to staffing problems.
But HIAL this week stressed that the decision was made due to "sudden and unexpected changes to air traffic control staffing levels."
The company was responding to concerns expressed by all 10 Caithness councillors in a letter published in today’s John O’Groat Journal. In it they voice their fears for the future of the airport and stress its importance for the economic and social development of the area.
The councillors claim the reduced opening hours are impacting on the travel plans of offshore oil workers. They also point out that oil industry helicopters cannot refuel at the airport and claim potential investors are being denied quick access to the county.
The councillors describe the HIAL decision as "deeply damaging" and urge the company to reverse it. They say the cut in opening hours will leave Caithness "lagging behind the rest of Scotland at a time when we need to adapt, compete and grow."
"HIAL must assure the county that this is indeed a temporary situation and set out a clear and urgent timetable to return Wick Airport to the operating hours one would expect of any modern airport. HIAL must not use this as an opportunity to change its operating hours in the longer-term. Any permanent change would cause permanent damage to our economy.....We cannot and will not allow this situation to continue much longer," add the councillors.
The issue was also raised at Tuesday night’s meeting of Thurso Community Council when Highland councillor Roger Saxon, argued that the reduced opening hours would impact on the Caithness economy. "It will affect Thurso just as much as Wick," said Mr Saxon.
Community councillor and Thurso and Wick Trades Council representative Thelma Mackenzie, agreed. "This is unacceptable," she stated.
Commenting on the concerns, a HIAL spokeswoman said the company recently appointed a new air traffic controller at Wick and the person is currently undergoing training.
"The decision to review operating hours at Wick was taken in order to protect existing passenger services and to ensure we comply with strict regulatory requirements, following sudden and unexpected changes to air traffic control staffing levels," she said.
"Given the constraints on the HIAL budget, we must ensure that we make best use of all our resources, including our staff. It is simply not cost effective to keep the airport open at times when there are no flights and we believe that councillors, who are also grappling with diminishing budgets, will understand this challenge."
The spokeswoman added: "We have been careful to ensure that there is no impact on normal passenger services, and we have also made it clear that we will consider special arrangements for private unscheduled traffic, where appropriate," she stated.
"We will be holding discussions with Wick councillor Gail Ross and Rob Gibson MSP on Friday. We will be happy to discuss the matter with them and to reassure them of our commitment to Wick Airport, and brief them on our ongoing work to secure new business for the airport.
"Wick Airport is an important transport asset for Caithness and we are determined to ensure it remains so. Unfortunately, this requires some difficult short-term decisions but we are confident that the airport has a strong future," she added.
