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30 December 04
Kirkwall Airport Resumes Normal Services After Lighting Strike
Normal Services Resume at Kirkwall Airport Full airport operations at Kirkwall have resumed following a lightning strike on 28 December that affected systems at the Orkney Islands' passenger hub.

The lightning strike which occurred during a storm at 11am on 28 December, disrupted airport systems including airfield lighting, navigational aids and telecommunications. Airport operations were restricted to daylight hours while engineers worked to restore full services.

Engineers from National Air Traffic Services, BT and Highlands and Islands Airports' electrical contractors have now restored airport systems to full service.

Paul Clarkson, general manager operations at Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd said: "Following the lightning strike we worked closely with Loganair to minimise the disruption to scheduled flights. Engineers have been working round the clock to restore full services and we now have the airport operating as normal again.

"We would like to thank passengers for their patience during the past two days and would also pay tribute to the hard work that has enabled systems to be restored as soon as possible."
Landing At Kirkwall Airport  - Picture by Alan Moar

14 December 04
North Airports Record Strong November 2004 Performance
The latest passenger figures from Highlands and Islands Airports Limited show that almost 77,000 people flew via the company’s 10 airports in November, a 7.5% increase on the same month last year.  This brings the running total for HIAL’s 10 airports in the current operating year to 728,975, an increase of almost 11% on the same eight months in 2003/04.

28 November 04
easyJet Announces New Inverness-Belfast Route
Leading no-frills airline easyJet delivered a boost to the Highlands of Scotland by announcing its intention to introduce a new route between Inverness and Belfast International Airport.   Details of the start date, timetable and fares will be announced in the coming weeks. easyJet already operates services to the Highlands with 14 return flights each week between Inverness and Gatwick and Luton airports in London.

The decision was welcomed by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, the operator of Inverness Airport.  Bob Macleod, managing director of HIAL said: "This is excellent news for the region and we believe there is considerable demand for this link both within the Highlands and in Northern Ireland.

"Passenger numbers are growing at a rate of 21% in the current year and we are on target to handle almost 575,000 passengers at Inverness by the end of March 2005. This new route will further boost the airport's performance and bring more people into the Highlands for business and leisure."

James Walton, Inverness Airport manager with HIAL said: "easyJet has been a customer airline since 1996 and we are delighted that they are expanding their operation at Inverness. They introduced Gatwick-Inverness in early 2003 with great success and I am sure that Belfast will prove equally successful for them."

11 November 04
Passenger Growth Continues at North Airports
The latest passenger figures from Highlands and Islands Airports Limited show that more than 94,000 people flew via the company’s 10 airports in October.  This represents an 11% increase on October 2004 and brings the running total for the 10 airports in the current operating year to 652,060, an 11% increase on the same seven months in 2003/04.  Inverness continues to be the fastest developing airport in the region with passenger growth of 21.5% in the current year. The airports at Barra, Campbeltown, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Tiree and Wick have also increased their passenger numbers in the past seven months compared to 2003/04.

9 November 04
NORTH MSP HAILS NEW SCHEDULED FLIGHTS FOR WICK AIRPORT
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Maureen Macmillan has welcomed the £100,000 of Scottish Executive funding for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, announced by First Minister Jack McConnell during a visit to Caithness this week. The funding will allow Eastern Airways to introduce an extra daily flight to their existing Wick/ Aberdeen service and begin daily return flights from Wick to Inverness and Inverness to Aberdeen.
Mrs Macmillan commented, “This is excellent news for Caithness. The ease of access to quick and sensibly scheduled air links to Inverness, Aberdeen and beyond is essential for business users travelling to and from Caithness.  When the new schedules are introduced early next year travellers from Caithness will have access to around thirty onward connections from Aberdeen and Inverness. The extra flights will also safeguard existing jobs at Wick airport and by having an aircraft based at Wick should create new jobs for necessary ground crew and cabin attendants.

1 November 04
More Holiday Destinations from Inverness Airport in 2005
Holidaymakers will have the choice of 35 flights to sunshine destinations in the 2005 charter programme from Inverness Airport.  Direct charter flights from the airport to European holiday locations will be operated by Thomson, Transun and Newmarket Holidays between April and November next year.

Thomson will operate 12 flights to Majorca and Turkey in 2005 while Transun are offering 19 flights to destinations including Madeira, Malta, Sardinia and Cyprus. Newmarket will operate four flights to Portugal, Sicily and Lake Garda.

Inverness Airport manager James Walton said: "The holiday charter programme at Inverness continues to expand offering holidaymakers the convenience of travelling from their local airport.

"In the past many people have travelled to Edinburgh and Glasgow to start their holiday. Now they can fly from their own doorstep to a wide range of destinations," he said.  Alex Johnson, commercial and marketing manager at Highlands and Islands Airports added: "Holiday charters are playing an important part in the growth of Inverness Airport, complementing the expanded range of scheduled services on offer.

"We hope that 2005 will see even more people choosing to start their holiday in the sun from Inverness," said Mr Johnson. To find out more about holidays from Inverness Airport contact:
Thomson
Tel 0870 165 0079
Website www.thomsonholidays.com

Transun
Tel 0870 444 4747
Email [email protected]
Website www.transun.co.uk

Newmarket Holidays
Tel 0845 226 7744 (Quote NA1501G/AGT)
Or contact your local ABTA Travel Agent.

18 October 04
Highland Airports Set To Break Record One Million Passengers

More Than 558,000 Fly in Six Months

Wick Airport Reverses Decline With Big Jump In Traffic
More than 558,000 passengers travelled through the 10 airports operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited in the past six months. This represents an 11% increase on the same period in 2003/04 with the operator on target to handle around one million passengers by the end of March 2005.
The six-month total for 2004/05 now stands at 558,024, compared to 502,146 passengers in the same period in 2003/04. The largest year on year growth for the six months was recorded at Inverness with a rise in passengers of 21.2% to a total of 313,617. The six-month totals for Barra, Campbeltown, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Tiree and Wick are also up on last year’s figures.

2 October 04
Wick Airport Opening Hours On Saturdays - No Change

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited today confirmed that it had no plans to change Wick Airport's opening hours on Saturdays after 31 October 2004 when Loganair intends to drop its Saturday flight between Wick and Edinburgh from its schedules.  The airport handles a considerable volume of non-scheduled traffic with much of this general aviation business occurring at weekends.  Paul Clarkson, HIAL's general manager operations, said: "There are no immediate plans to alter opening hours at Wick following the changes to Loganair's winter schedules. General aviation traffic is an important part of our business at Wick and the airport will continue to support this. The airport will continue to open on Saturdays after 31st
October."

29 September 04
Wick Kirkwall Flights To Cease
Loganair have announced that the Wick To Kirkwall flights are to cease as there are too few passengers to make it viable.  Caithness area convenor has expressed disappointment at the decisions as he said the flight allowed people to return home at the weekend by air which would no longer be possible in the future.
These timetable changes will take effect from 1 November onwards
Monday to Friday Edinburgh-Wick-Sumburgh-Wick-Edinburgh (Currently Edinburgh-Wick-Kirkwall-Wick-Edinburgh)
No schedules on Saturday (Currently Edinburgh-Wick-Kirkwall-Wick-Edinburgh)

24 September 04
Air Passenger Numbers Increase in Highlands and Islands
The increase over all for highlands & Islands although Wick had decrease of 13 passengers in August compared to last year.  It is possible this might improve when September's figures are released due to the number of people flying in to test the new Range Rover Discovery cars being made available to the press from all over the world.  Many of them are flying in to test drive the vehicles on Caithness and Sutherland roads, beaches and special test areas.

24 September 04
Work to Start on Wick Airport Terminal Upgrade
Work is set to start on the upgrade of Wick airport's terminal building to meet new security requirements.  The works project, which will cost in the region of £800,000, will see a range of improvements introduced and enhance passenger comfort. It will include a new departure lounge, enlarged concourse area, new check-in desks, office accommodation and a hold baggage x-ray facility.
The upgrade to the terminal is being carried out by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to comply with National Aviation Security Programme requirements.
The principal contractor is O'Brien Construction Limited and work is scheduled for completion by the end of April 2005.
The airport operator has invested more than £3 million at Wick in the past three years. Work included the main runway refurbishment (£1.7 million), a new fire training ground (£296,000) and environmental works (£755,000) to meet Scottish Environmental Protection Agency requirements for the treatment of run-off water.
HIAL's managing director, Bob Macleod said: "We have invested more than £3 million in capital projects at Wick in recent years, representing a huge commitment to the airport and the community it serves. The result is a facility ably equipped to service current needs and with the capacity to cater for the types of scheduled service and general aviation traffic likely to use the facility in the future."
Angela Donaldson, regional manager north said: "We are working closely with the contractor to minimise disruption to passengers using the terminal and the end result will be an upgraded building that offers better facilities to our passengers."
In the year ending 31 March 2004, Wick airport handled almost 29,000 passengers and 6,300 aircraft movements. BA franchisee Loganair and Eastern Airways operate scheduled services at Wick and the airport receives a wide range of charter, private, lifeline and military flights.

15 July 04
Wick Airport - Decline Continues In Passenger Numbers
Inverness Airport Passengers Reach Record Level

More than 52,500 passengers used Inverness Airport in June, a record number for the gateway air hub for the Highlands and Islands.  Wick, Barra and Benbecula airports saw small decreases in passenger numbers compared to the monthly totals in June 2003.  Passenger numbers at the 10 airports operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited reached almost 95,000 in June, a 14.6% increase on the total of 82,781 for June 2003.

5 July 04
Busiest Day Ever For Inverness Airport
Inverness Airport recorded its busiest day ever for passenger movements on Saturday 3rd July.  The airport, one of the UK's fastest developing regional air hubs, handled 2,500 passengers during the day.

28 May 04
70th Anniversary of Commercial Air Mail Services
The 70th anniversary of the first official internal British airmail service will be commemorated on Saturday 29 May at Kirkwall Airport in Orkney.   Captain Ernest Edmund Fresson OBE, the pioneer of flight in the North of Scotland, flew the first airmail service from Inverness to Wick and Kirkwall on 29 May 1933. Earlier in the same month he flew the first scheduled passenger service on the same route and in November of 1934 he operated the first UK air ambulance flight.

30 March 04
Air Travel To Sweden Becomes Low Cost For Scots
A new destination of low cost travel has opened up for people in the Highlands and Scots generally as Swedish arilines SAS and their subsidiary Snowflake have started two new low cost routes to Stockholm.  A £46 one way ticket is available from Inverness including taxes etc or a £99 return from Edinburgh.   We wonder if Wick and other HIAL airports can ever get in on this act.  Anyone fancy watching the football in Stockholm.

26 February 04
Kosovan Airport Staff Receive Training at Inverness
A group of eight airport staff from Kosovo are receiving two weeks of training at Inverness Airport as part of an international aerodrome operations programme.  Highlands and Islands Airports Limited is delivering a two-week training programme to the operational staff from Pristina Airport on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authority International.  Members if the Kosovan group have already carried out training in England and are now gaining an insight into all aspects of airport operations north of the border.

10 February 04
New Contract Sees Fisheries Flights Move to Inverness

The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency is set to relocate its reconnaissance aircraft from Prestwick to Inverness Airport following a contract award with Highland Airways.  The Agency has signed a five-year deal with the regional air operator to maintain and crew its two Cessna F406 reconnaissance aircraft, which will operate out of Inverness. The contract will commence on 1st April 2004.  The aircraft will be based in Inverness and carry out patrols over Scottish waters. The contract will see Highland Airways employ 12 new members of staff.

22 January 04
North Airports’ Passenger Figures Rise to Over 700,000
More than 700,000 passengers flew via airports in the North of Scotland in the past nine months.  Figures for the third quarter of 2003/04 issued by Highlands and Islands Airports today (22nd January 04) show that 726,751 travellers used the company’s 10 airports in the nine months to end of December. This is an increase of more than 50,000 passengers on the previous year’s running total.

10 December 03
LOWER AIR FARES FROM INVERNESS

Air passengers in the Highlands and Islands are being offered significant fare reductions between the region’s hub airports and Edinburgh and Glasgow. British Airway’s franchise partner Loganair Ltd has introduced a new, simpler fare structure across its network and Inverness will now benefit from the launch of ‘Everyday’ fares.

18 November 03
Fresson Trust Calendar
Celebrates North’s Aviation History
A new calendar which commemorates the rich history of aviation in the
Highlands and Islands goes on sale this week and will be available from each of the 10 airports managed by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited.
The 2004 Fresson Trust calendar commemorates the life and work of Captain Ernest Edmund Fresson OBE, the pioneer of flight in the North of Scotland.
The calendar is made up of stunning images taken from original oil paintings by leading aviation artist Edmund Miller and costs £4 if bought directly from the airports. The calendar can also be ordered by post for £5, including postage and packing, from HIAL’s head office.

16 November 03
Loganair Increases Flights
Edinburgh to Inverness and Stornoway Routes
Loganair Ltd, British Airways’ the principal flight operator in the Highlands and Islands, has increased its air links from Edinburgh to Inverness and Stornoway.  As a result of the new frequencies it is now possible to travel north from the Scottish capital for a day’s business in either Inverness or Stornoway and return the same day.  The move comes in response to demand from air travellers and forms part of winter schedule changes that now include an earlier Glasgow flight to Inverness, Kirkwall and Sumburgh and an earlier flight from Sumburgh to Edinburgh.

8 September 03
New Cross-Border Flight For Highlands
The £6.8 million Route Development Fund will invest in a new direct flight from Inverness to Birmingham, Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said today.

HIAL Running Total Passenger
Figures for 2003-2004 (1 April – 31 July)