Communities in Barra and Tiree given say on flights

Barra AirportDavid Savile

Island communities are to be given a greater say on their lifeline air services.

The Scottish government is inviting tenders for the running of air routes from Glasgow to Barra, Tiree and Campbeltown for the next four years.

A new element to the contract is the removal of little used flights to create a "bank of rotations" to better meet times of higher demand.

The estimated value of the contract is £20m.

A trial on the Barra service, which sees seats reserved for passengers travelling for medical purposes, will also be formalised in the new contract.

The government said timetable changes made to the Campbeltown service in 2015 would continue following feedback from the community.

It said improvements to the public service obligation services included:

  • Removal of Tiree's second daily service on a Saturday for the period mid-October to end of March to create a bank of 18 rotations for the community "to deploy at their discretion"

  • Tiree's Sunday service increased from one to two daily from the beginning of June to the start of September

  • Removal of Barra's second daily service on a Wednesday during January and February to create a bank of 10 rotations

  • Two seats per day reserved on the first flight of the day from Barra to Glasgow and on the second flight of the day from Glasgow to Barra for use by passengers travelling for medical purposes

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: "These flights play a vital role for the remote communities they serve, so we have spoken with passengers to see how we can make improvements and will keep ticket prices low given the lifeline nature of the services.

"The people of Barra and Tiree told us they face capacity issues over the busy summer period, so the new contract will remove a number of little used flights to create a bank of rotations that can be deployed at the discretion of these communities.

"It will also formalise a scheme for the Barra service which reserves seats for passengers travelling for medical purposes, following a successful trial."