THE number of passengers using Highlands and Islands airports plummeted by more than three-quarters over the past year, figures show.
The data emerged as Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (Hial) said it had spent £1.2 million on extra Covid-safe measures, including self-service check-ins, as some domestic flights resume.
The group comprises 11 airports, including Inverness, Stornoway, Campbeltown, Kirkwall, Dundee and Islay.
Inverness Airport, the largest in the group, saw passenger numbers fall 88% year-on-year, from 916,669 to just 110,406. Sumburgh Airport in Shetland, which serves the oil and gas sector, was least affected but still saw a 47% reduction in passenger numbers, down from 307,906 to 162,553.
The average drop in passenger numbers across all 11 airports was 77%, the figures show, down from 1,682,245 to 392,682.
The latest figures cover 2020-21, running from April 1 to March 31.
Hial managing director Inglis Lyon said: “The pandemic has underlined the crucial role Hial’s airports continue to play in maintaining connectivity for our communities in this remote part of Scotland.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here