Leader seeks European support for Highlands and Islands air travellers
3rd October 2013
Getting a better deal on air travel for rural regions, such as the Highlands and Islands, was top of the agenda for The Highland Council Leader Drew Hendry when he addressed delegates at the General Assembly of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions in St Malo, Brittany, France.
Councillor Hendry won the support of delegates for further research to be carried out by CPMR for present to the European Commission.
He argued that better transport communications in rural areas are crucial to sustain local economies, including security of links from rural airports, such as Inverness, to hub airport destinations, such as Gatwick or Heathrow, London.
He has robustly challenged the suggestion, through the Highlands and Islands European Partnership (HIEP) that EU Regional Aid should be phased out over the next 10 years through the European Union’s consultation on State Aids to Airports and Airlines. This would pose even greater challenges for the region’s airports.
Councillor Hendry said: “The E.U. wishes to see an end to the eligibility of airports and airlines to financial assistance or regional aid from government and argues that there is duplication in air transport provision and that this is anti- competitive. Under the EU proposals regional aid will be phased out over the next ten years.
“HIEP argues that special dispensation should be given to peripheral airports such as in the Highlands and Islands where there is no high speed land-based alternative to air transport. Here the airports such as Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh are owned by the public sector and require ongoing support to continue to provide regional travel to small and scattered populations and to meet the demands of modern air travel.”
Inglis Lyon, Managing Director for Highlands and Islands Airports, confirmed that the one-size-fits-all proposals are totally disproportionate for a remote region served by routes which have traditionally been marginal. Responding to the consultation, he confirmed that he had outlined his concerns and sought a meeting with the Commission to amplify his argument directly.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
First Minister John Swinney has confirmed the opening of a £1.5 million fund to support councils in removing the impact of school meal debt from families across the country. Mr Swinney said this commitment will help ensure no child is penalised for struggling to pay for school meals as a result of the cost of living crisis.
Todays Audit Scotland report Local government budgets 2024/25 reveals how dire council budgets are. This makes many more cuts in services likely in coming years.
At the Highland Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee. (Thursday 2 May 2024) Members had the opportunity to review the work the Council is doing to progress active travel and improve road safety before approving the next steps.
At the meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee members had the opportunity to review the last two years of the Community Regeneration Funding Programme before agreeing changes to how the 2024/25 programme will be delivered. Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Following a successful two years, it is a good time to review what has gone well and what can be done better so we can continue to build on success, and seamlessly move the focus onto how best to support the delivery of projects." "With 279 live projects and over £6million of committed funds still to be claimed, there is no doubt as to the value and impact of the programme's potential.
The Highland Council's In-House bus service pilot project was launched in January 2023. The success of its first year of operation in delivering savings and creating a valued and reliable service was highlighted at today’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee.
Members of Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee today (2 May 2024) approved the local authority's draft Ecology Strategy and Action Plan which will now move forward to an 12-week public consultation. The Ecology Strategy sets out an ambitious set of actions to tackle biodiversity loss and address the ecological emergency.
Economy and Infrastructure Committee members today (2 May 2024) agreed to direct £100K from the Council's share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to fund a new staff training programme at the Inverness Castle Experience. The funding will enable the project team to provide specialist visitor attraction training to young people identified through partners at Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
The Housing and Property Committee met on Wednesday 1 May 2024 and noted the Housing Service performance report 2023/24 that met the agreed priorities and associated initiatives in the Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028. The report highlighted a number of achievements in 2023/24 in increasing housing supply.
Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council. Convener of the Council, Cllr Bill Lobban said: "I am delighted to say that Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council.
As intimated in Highland Council's budget plan, a new senior management structure is to be implemented following approval by Council 14th March. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.
