Lifeline air services

We support air routes from Glasgow to Barra, Tiree and Campbeltown. While the number of people using these routes is not enough to make them commercially viable for airlines, they nevertheless provide important connectivity to local communities.

To do this, we use Public Service Obligations (PSOs), which are obligations imposed on a route to provide a set specification of service. A PSO imposes obligations to ensure the minimum provision of service on a route in terms of continuity, regularity, pricing or minimum capacity.

Our contract with Loganair for these three routes runs until 24 October 2023.

PSOs have also been imposed on routes within Shetland, Orkney, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Argyll & Bute, all of which are subsidised by the local authorities.

The subsidy ensures that these isolated communities have air links with a main centre. Under Subsidy Control rules, it is necessary to seek competitive bids to allow subsidy to be paid.