Island flight improvements
A series of improvements will be made to the Scottish Government’s island air links, Minister for Transport and the Islands Humza Yousaf has announced.
The following measures are being brought in from the 2018 summer season to increase capacity on the services that operate from Glasgow to Tiree and Barra:
- 22 additional return flights from Glasgow to Tiree through a redeployment of capacity from Winter 2018-19 to Summer 2018.
- 22 additional return flights from Glasgow to Barra in May and early June.
- Up to 40 additional return flights from Glasgow to Barra from late June to October through a redeployment of capacity from Winter 2018-19 to Summer 2018, subject to on-going discussions with the Barra community.
Mr Yousaf said:
“We have consulted with the communities of Tiree and Barra to see how we can improve their air services and address capacity concerns over the summer months.
“These additional services will ensure that we are maximising the potential of these services during the busiest time of year, supporting local economies and improving connectivity for these remote communities.
“The majority of extra flights will be created by moving a bank of rotations from the winter timetable, while still meeting demand during that time of year. This will create more capacity during the summer and reduce the number of empty seats across the year.
“We are also providing around £18,000 in additional funding to bring in the additional Barra flights in May and June.
“We are committed to supporting our remote communities and these improvements to our iconic air links will help do that.”