Our final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S7M-01191, in the name of Liam McArthur, calling for a regional air strategy for the Highlands and Islands. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I ask members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons now.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises that, for many island, coastal and rural communities, including those in Orkney, short-haul flights that connect them with mainland Scotland and the rest of the UK are a lifeline service, providing vital transport links for NHS patients, local businesses and the wider community; notes the deep concern of communities regarding the recent decision by Loganair to reduce services on routes from Inverness that connect the Northern and Western Isles with mainland Scotland, and the wider concern that this reflects an ongoing pattern of consolidation by the operator, which has cited the financial unsustainability of certain routes; recognises that reductions in flight availability and increasing fares can adversely affect the resilience and economies of island, coastal and rural communities; understands that the Scottish Government has already committed funding to restore air services from Inverness to island communities from October; notes the view that a long-term strategy is required to support a resilient, sustainable and accessible air transport network and that the development of such a strategy must be led by Scottish Ministers in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and informed by the needs and perspectives of island and coastal communities, and welcomes recent steps by the Scottish Government to take this work forward, while noting the call for this work to be done as a matter of urgency.
17:17
I flew to Canada last month to watch my son Tom compete for Scotland in the Commonwealth powerlifting championships. I mention that partly to get Tom’s achievement into the Parliament’s Official Report, for which I am sure I will pay a price when he finds out, but also to make the point that the £700 it cost to take a return flight between Edinburgh and Toronto was the same as the cost of my return flight between Kirkwall and Edinburgh immediately after the election in May. Similar comparisons are regularly made by my constituents and by those who visit the islands that I represent, whether for work, on holiday or to see family and friends.
I know that there are reasons why the costs can be so high. I appreciate that Loganair, like all airlines and the aviation sector more generally, is facing enormous challenges at present and I recognise that it is not in the interests of island communities for Loganair to be financially unviable. However, I note that whereas Loganair showed a willingness in the past to cross-subsidise between routes or between busier and less busy periods of the year, that is no longer the case, which makes today’s debate all the more timely and urgent.
Aviation plays a unique role in our island communities. For people living in Orkney, Shetland or the Western Isles, reliable, affordable and accessible air services are not only about having the freedom to travel for leisure or work. Those services mean that patients can travel to Aberdeen, Inverness or further south for vital health treatment. They make the difference between someone who lives on North Ronaldsay being able to attend routine appointments, which can allow healthcare needs to be identified and addressed early, or becoming increasingly isolated, unwell and reliant on costly emergency transfers. They determine whether specialists can travel to our islands to see those with complex health needs.
For island communities, those flights are truly lifeline services and, as such, should reflect the needs of those communities. However, over recent years and across the Highlands and Islands, that has increasingly not been the case. We have seen a decline in service levels and a gradual consolidation of routes that has been described by the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership as a “narrowing by commercial attrition”.
Loganair makes the fair point that it is a commercial business and the financial pressure of maintaining some routes is becoming more and more unsustainable, but it feels as if there is a process of managed decline, with service levels dropping, ticket prices rising and islanders being priced out of travelling on those routes, despite air discount support.
Over the summer, cuts to services between Inverness and our islands exposed the fragility of the Highlands and Islands network and the urgent need to find a more sustainable model. The funding that the Scottish Government provided through Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd to allow Inverness routes to be reinstated was welcome, but it was very much a short-term response to a longer-term problem. As Loganair has made crystal clear, the risk is that, come next March, without a further injection of subsidy, those routes will be pulled again.
Therefore, I welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport’s willingness to respond positively to the calls that I and others have made for a strategic review of how the network operates. Such a review is overdue, but I am glad that work is now under way, with a meeting having taken place earlier this week. However, I make it clear that that process will require strong and sustained leadership from the Government and the cabinet secretary to ensure that reform happens, and that it happens at pace. The review must not be another that produces recommendations without delivering meaningful change.
I pay tribute to those who were involved in this week’s initial meeting. In particular, I pay tribute to HITRANS for the power of work that it, alongside other stakeholders, has put into developing potential options, drawing on experience in other parts of the world. There is the regional public service obligation network in Norway, to which I know that the Minister for Public Finance is very attracted. In Greece, we see how bundling routes can help to deliver a resilient air service network, while, in Corsica, maximum fares for island residents who access key airports on the French mainland appear to work well.
However, it must not be a case of lift and shift. Whatever model is applied in Scotland and the Highlands and Islands must reflect our specific needs and circumstances, but we should take encouragement from the fact that other countries are operating successful, sustainable models. We are not starting with a blank canvas. As I said, HITRANS and others deserve credit for the work that they have already carried out in this area.
Notwithstanding all that, the process—which will include engagement with the UK Government—will take time. I look forward to joining cross-party colleagues in a meeting with the cabinet secretary later this month to discuss next steps.
In the meantime, we must not have a repeat of what we saw earlier this summer, when routes were removed or reduced with no prior consultation with affected communities. I suspect that Donald MacKinnon will detail the havoc that that created for the national health service patients who are reliant on the Stornoway to Inverness route. In Orkney, I heard from members of the visually impaired people’s group about the impact on those who attend the national ophthalmology treatment centre in Inverness, who were forced to take detours via Aberdeen, which increased journey times, accommodation costs and stress levels.
Only this week, Loganair notified us of its winter timetable. Once again, routes from Orkney and Shetland to and from Edinburgh are being consolidated, and there is an overall service reduction of between 10 and 15 per cent. That follows a familiar pattern of merging services, combined with not overnighting aircraft in the islands, that has reduced or removed entirely the ability of people in the islands to make a day-return journey between the northern isles and the central belt. Those routes are vital for access to essential services, but they are also economically significant. Routinely merging flights limits the economic growth potential of our islands, makes regional investment more costly and reduces resilience, competitivity and opportunity.
My final point is on the physical—as opposed to the financial—accessibility of the services. In Orkney and elsewhere, Loganair’s Islander aircraft is a familiar, popular and durable mainstay of the lifeline interisle service, but, for all its virtues, it is an aircraft that presents accessibility challenges, even for passengers without mobility issues, to which I can testify. For those with mobility issues, however, it involves contortions too far and is often a no-go. To put it bluntly, it is not a lifeline service if you cannot get on and off the plane. As I said earlier, for residents of islands such as North Ronaldsay, which has no roll-on, roll-off ferry, the consequences can be dire.
On a more positive note, HITRANS and others have been working hard to find solutions—solutions the implementation of which former health secretary Neil Gray was very keen on when he attended a meeting that I organised on the issue in Orkney two years ago. Since then, HITRANS has confirmed that a suitable lifting device has been developed, and I hope that Mr Flynn will take up the invitation to visit Orkney to see the prototype in action and discuss how it might now be put to good use.
The Highlands and Islands deserves an air service and wider transport network that supports access to healthcare and other essential services, that underpins local economies and that is shaped by the needs of the communities that it serves. I welcome the strong cross-party consensus that now exists on this increasingly pressing issue. I thank those who supported the motion to allow the debate to take place, and I look forward to hearing contributions from colleagues.
17:24
I congratulate Liam McArthur on securing this important debate—and his son for representing Scotland in Canada. I support his call for a regional air strategy for the Highlands and Islands. Like Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, Argyll and its isles are served by several lifeline airports—which are some of the most beautiful places to land. As Liam McArthur notes, those airports and the flights to and from them provide an important link allowing residents, businesses and tourists to live, do business and visit.
As members may know, I am trying to get a Gaelic phrase into all my contributions. This one is a bit blue sky, but I think that it reflects the importance of our lifeline air services. Is uasal gach nì a nì an iolaire—noble is everything the eagle does.
Campbeltown, Oban, Tiree, Coll, Colonsay and Islay airports all provide key infrastructure needs to my constituents. I put on record my thanks to everyone who works at all the airports in Argyll and Bute and the pilots and cabin crews on the planes. I have had the pleasure to land at or visit each of the airports—seeing the solar-powered lights on Campbeltown runway; watching the sheep keep the grass short on Colonsay; landing in Tiree after getting the most amazing views of Argyll and Bute from the air, like the eagle; and sharing flights to my home on Islay with whisky business folk and whisky tourists. Those connections are central to my constituency.
I give a special shout-out for the caring way in which all staff support those travelling for NHS appointments. That is so important, and it shows small communities at their best. Funding and consistent management are important, too, to maintain those services and improve lives and resilience. Airports that were expanded to protect Scotland’s west coast during world war two are now at the front line of ensuring that the west coast can thrive.
I recognise the investment in resurfacing the runways in Islay and Campbeltown, which has ensured the long-term future of those airports. Residents can access the air passenger discount, although I agree with Mr McArthur’s point about increasing fares. Campbeltown, Islay and Tiree are managed by HIAL, and Oban, Coll and Colonsay by Argyll and Bute Council, with flights provided by Hebridean Air Services. If we were starting with a blank sheet, that is perhaps not how we would want to design our lifeline air services.
I chaired a meeting with the community councils of Coll, Colonsay and Tiree, Argyll and Bute Council and Hebridean Air Services, with the aim of improving dialogue and the service, which has the purpose of providing medical support, scholar flights and community resilience. Those are all lifeline services.
As Liam McArthur mentioned, there are models across the world that we can learn from. Those island services from Oban rightly have a public service obligation, but is the council the right place for that responsibility to lie? I hope that that might be considered as part of the public sector reform work.
I will quickly touch on an investment opportunity near Campbeltown that matches the cabinet secretary’s portfolio perfectly. I recently met representatives of Southworth, which already invests in local hotels and golf courses. It has plans for a second championship golf course in the Campbeltown area. It envisages around 25,000 additional visitors annually and up to 100 locally recruited jobs. Benefits from that would ripple out to the wider community. However, there is a need for a reliable air service to south Kintyre. I am grateful for the work that Transport Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, HIAL and others have been doing to find solutions, along with Southworth. As a result, three Gatwick pilot flights to Campbeltown have occurred, the last one today. The first two charter flights achieved around 96 per cent occupancy, showing that Kintyre is open for business and investment. A sustainable, accessible, safe airport network is key to that.
As the motion says,
“a long-term strategy is required”
for our lifeline airports, and strong leadership from
“Scottish Ministers in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and informed by the needs and perspectives of island and coastal communities”
is so important. Argyll and Bute, its people and businesses must be central to that.
Alongside Liam McArthur, I invite the cabinet secretary to see the importance of air services to Argyll and Bute first hand—and perhaps to be that eagle.
17:29
I thank Liam McArthur for bringing this motion to the chamber, and I congratulate his son on his participation and achievement over in Canada.
This motion is of critical importance to constituents across the Highlands and Islands, because short-haul flights are not a luxury there—they are a lifeline. They are vital links for the reasons that were eloquently set out by Liam McArthur in his speech.
Loganair’s recent decision to scale back services from Inverness sent shockwaves through our communities. It exposed a fragile reality: when commercial operators face unsustainable costs and consolidate routes, it is our most vulnerable citizens who pay the price through fewer opportunities, higher fares and greater uncertainty.
I would like the debate to focus on what is within the Scottish Government’s power to fix. We have responsibility for transport infrastructure, Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd and the public service obligation framework, and those powers give us the means to make a lasting difference. I therefore welcome the Government’s swift commitment of funding to restore critical Inverness air services from October. That intervention prevented an immediate crisis, and ministers deserve credit for acting when communities needed support most. However, emergency funding is a sticking plaster and not a long-term solution, and islanders cannot be left living month to month, uncertain whether they will reach a mainland hospital appointment or whether a vital connection will operate.
The evidence of disruption is stark. Delays and cancellations have risen by 15 per cent, with technical faults cited as the main causes, and business surveys suggest that 40 per cent of local firms have suffered direct financial loss or reputational damage because of air travel disruption.
This is about far more than just convenience or even the immediate economy; it affects the entire infrastructure of island life. If we consider public sector recruitment, we find that a specialist doctor might be willing to work in the islands, but they are human beings with families—their partner might not be able to take their job with them or work in an island economy; therefore, reliable connectivity can determine whether that family can make island life viable and whether communities can recruit the professionals they need.
We must therefore move from crisis management to proactive strategy. In an ideal world, that would mean more aircraft, well-staffed air traffic control, modern infrastructure, affordable fares and a full schedule, but given the fiscal and market realities, we know that we will probably not be able to deliver all those things at once or anytime soon. However, I reckon that one foundational priority is achievable: reliability and consistency. Even if the number of flights is limited, people must be able to rely on the services that are scheduled. That certainty allows patients, families and employers and public bodies to plan with confidence.
A further suggestion would be to have a dedicated fund, down the line, for a standby aircraft and crew system that are based in the region. Right now, a single mechanical fault in the morning cascades into a full-day shutdown across the planning matrix.
Finally, exploration of enhancing the public service obligation framework, with strict reliability clauses to ensure that the operator meets minimum performance thresholds, would go a long way to giving the public confidence that the operator will be held accountable if the service is not meeting that minimum threshold.
We have shown that we can fix the immediate problem; now let us show that we as a whole Parliament can work together to secure these lifelines for a generation, however that might be defined, by building a service that islanders can truly trust. In support of the spirit of the motion, I urge the Government to work across the Parliament to deliver a long-term strategy without delay.
17:33
I thank Liam McArthur for securing the debate today. It is an issue that he and I have spent much time discussing since I was elected, and I welcome his experience as a long-time campaigner on the subject.
The model of regional air travel in Scotland is broken. My inbox is full of messages from constituents who have contacted me about how expensive flights to our islands are. When I checked earlier today, a Loganair flight from Edinburgh to Stornoway tomorrow would cost just short of £300, while a Loganair flight on the same day to Southampton would set you back £178.
Even with the support of the air discount scheme, air travel is outwith the reach of many islanders. In 2025-26, the cost of the scheme increased by almost £2.5 million, for fewer tickets supported. There is no regulation of what Loganair can charge for a ticket, and those figures reveal the consequences of that position. Today’s Stornoway Gazette reports that Loganair has been cashing in on a fuel surcharge that it has passed on to customers, despite public statements that it had already taken steps to hedge against fuel increases.
Air travel is not a nice-to-have. We are talking about essential lifeline services that connect some of our most fragile communities. A reliable air service is key for growing our economy, not only in our islands but across Scotland, and for ensuring that islanders have access to essential services—in particular, healthcare. That was brought into stark focus, as Liam McArthur mentioned earlier, when Loganair took the decision to reduce services from Stornoway to Inverness and to remove services altogether from Inverness to the northern isles.
Following that announcement, the Transport Committee took evidence from stakeholders. Gordon Jamieson, chief executive of NHS Western Isles, told us that the changes could lead to locum costs of up to £1 million annually. He went on to say:
“there have been several changes throughout 2025 and 2026. It almost feels like each time we embark on a significant piece of work to mitigate the impact of changes on patients, and each time we get that settled in—which involves losing and regaining some activity—something like this then happens. That means that we almost need to start all over”.
The Scottish Government stepped in and provided £1 million to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd to provide the discounts required to allow the service to be reinstated. I commend the cabinet secretary for that intervention, but it will take us only to March next year, which is fast approaching. We cannot find ourselves in a situation again in which Loganair can, in effect, hold the cabinet secretary and the public purse to ransom.
That is why we need a regional air strategy for the Highlands and Islands—as Loganair itself has already recognised. At that committee meeting, Ronnie Matheson of Loganair told us, in reference to the Inverness situation:
“Without such a framework, what has happened here will happen again”—
guaranteed—
“on these routes or on others.”—[Official Report, Transport Committee, 24 June 2026; c 4, 24.]
He was right. This week, Loganair has cut its winter schedule, including the flights between Edinburgh and Stornoway on Tuesdays and Fridays. I should declare an interest, as one of those cut is the flight that I use to get home to my constituency on a Friday morning, but I am trying not to take it personally. I understand the pressures that Loganair and the wider aviation industry are facing, but the events of this summer and the decision this week highlight the need for further Government intervention and the delivery of a meaningful strategy.
I understand, as Liam McArthur mentioned earlier, that a summit on regional air travel has taken place this week. I look forward to engaging with the Scottish Government, the cabinet secretary and other stakeholders on this issue in the future.
17:37
Regional air links provide essential connectivity for the economic and social wellbeing and health of communities across the Highlands and Islands. As Donald MacKinnon rightly points out, they are not just nice to have or there for tourism.
I am glad for the debate today on an issue that we have been working on collectively as regional MSPs. It is an issue that has shown what cross-party working can look like, and that work has reinforced the widespread support for the Government to make progress on the issue. I welcome the cabinet secretary’s engagement so far.
Looking across the enormous and diverse region that I represent, I see a fractured transport system that delivers for some and not for others. Across the region, we are seeing higher prices, the reducing of services and the hanging uncertainty of whether routes will still be operated or not. We have a system that lacks co-ordination, integration and a focus on delivering for communities.
The work that we take forward on regional air transport links must be focused on the outcomes and quality of services that our constituents expect us to improve. We must also ask ourselves to ask ourselves big questions about the role of Government. It is down to Government to take that work forward and ensure a minimum service guarantee, which must be developed with the communities that rely on the services, much akin to the routes and services methodology that has been used for our ferries.
Having chaired the Orkney internal and external transport forums for two years, I am very familiar with the diversity of issues that folk there face relating to aviation. The reality, of course, is that they are far from alone across the Highlands and Islands. I asked one of my constituents in Colonsay, Caitlin, about her experience with her island’s air links. She stressed to me that flights, ferries, buses and trains need to make more sense together. We need to take more control of ensuring that flights and ferry services complement each other, so that air links allow people, for example, to take a day trip to Oban for a hospital appointment.
She also added that, to her community especially, air links are particularly important in winter; ferries are more vulnerable to disruption from high winds, while flights can often provide a more reliable alternative. Further, she said that even increasing services from once to twice a week could make a meaningful difference for people who work away from home, need to attend appointments or want to visit relatives without facing repeated uncertainty.
This also matters because the Highlands and Islands are on the cusp of potentially transformational economic growth. The “Regional Transformational Opportunities in the Highlands and Islands” study by Highlands and Islands Enterprise identified 251 investment opportunities worth more than £100 billion across renewable energy, offshore wind, ports and marine industries, space, life sciences, food production and tourism. That will not only mean more residents travelling in and around the region, but engineers, construction workers, investors, healthcare professionals and specialist businesses needing to get around the Highlands and Islands. Reliable air connectivity is not a side issue; it is central to Scotland’s and our own region’s economic growth and prosperity, while still being, first and foremost, a lifeline for island and rural communities.
We must work towards an evidence-based vision for Highlands and Islands air connectivity that, as HITRANS and ZetTrans perfectly summed up, needs to, first, deliver affordable and reliable air connectivity for residents, businesses and visitors. It needs to identify minimum levels of air connectivity on specific lifeline and regional economic routes. It must support equitable access to healthcare, education, employment and public services. It must underpin Scotland’s nationally significant economic opportunities. It must make the best possible use of existing public investment, and, finally, establish a sustainable regional aviation model capable of serving future generations. Whether people live in Shetland and Orkney, Caithness, the Western Isles or the Inner Hebrides, we have the opportunity to deliver security and improvement in service, which is long overdue.
Because of the number of members who still wish to speak in the debate, I am minded to accept a motion without notice, under rule 8.14.3 of standing orders, to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. I invite Liam McArthur to move the motion.
Motion moved,
That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes.—[Liam McArthur]
Motion agreed to.
17:42
I thank Liam McArthur for bringing this incredibly important debate to the chamber. I also congratulate his son Tom, who I think won a bronze medal, if I have read the member’s Instagram posts right. We should always celebrate young people across Scotland and their efforts in sport.
I am not going to pretend for a moment that I am as up to date with island air travel as Liam McArthur, Donald MacKinnon, Hannah Mary Goodlad and Jenni Minto, who are all in the room, because they live on islands themselves. However, I wanted to come today, first to support them, because I think that there is a genuine cross-party effort on the issue. Although I have not been massively involved in that, I know that all those I have just mentioned have done a power of work to bring the issue forward—as has Kris Leask, of course. I support you, and if I can do anything to support you I am more than happy to.
I want to bring to the debate some of the voices of my constituents who have been in touch with me about air travel. Oddly enough, I was messaging somebody in Stornoway this morning, and I mentioned that this debate would be happening this evening. They replied to me and said, “Tim, island flights are a lifeline, not a convenience”, and that is absolutely right—these flights are a lifeline for many people. That was really apparent to me when, in 2024, I went with Neil Gray, when he was the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, to Benbecula, when the flights had changed and they were downgrading the aircraft from, I think, a 40-seater to an 8-seater—I think that it can now take 5 people. There were people who were absolutely reliant upon that flight, first, to get to Stornoway for healthcare treatment, but, also often to do a jump to Stornoway and then a jump to Inverness to get to Raigmore hospital or further for healthcare treatment. Therefore, these literally are lifeline flights, and they are crucial for people who live on the islands. Kristopher Leask also made a really good point about their importance to the economy.
I am grateful to Tim Eagle for taking the intervention, for his contribution and for his expression of support for what has been a genuinely cross-party effort.
The transfer that he pointed to that has taken place in the Western Isles has brought into play the Islander aircraft. Over and above the issues around financial accessibility, it has opened up the question of how physical accessibility can be guaranteed for patients—not necessarily because they are in need of emergency treatment but just to allow them to attend routine hospital appointments. That issue has become front and centre for many of Donald MacKinnon’s constituents and those who Mr Eagle represents.
I completely agree with that. I have not been on that Benbecula flight—I do not know whether Donald MacKinnon has. One of the cancer patients whom I spoke to in Benbecula said that they almost had to crawl over seats in order to get to the back of the plane, which they just could not do—I do not know whether that is 100 per cent true but that is what they told me when I was over there.
Another point that I want to raise—and it is one that I will continue to raise in the chamber every time I get a moment—is about rurality. I spoke about that the other night—indeed, I spoke about it in three members’ business debates this week. It is not as easy to justify large capital projects such as the A9, the A96 or regional air travel in rural areas as it might be in the central belt where there are many more people; however, that does not mean that rural areas do not need those large projects any less. It is important that we accept that we need to put money in and bring in those services if we want to drive forward our economy and ensure that we do not suffer from rural depopulation—which is my big issue.
Two asks have come from the constituents whom I have had contact with over the past couple of years. The first is around identifying routes where the community is, in effect, dependent on air travel and whether those routes need to be considered as PSO routes, because, at the moment, those routes are all commercial. The second—I think that Donald MacKinnon made that point, too—is that we really need to make air travel genuinely affordable for islanders, so that people can get on and off the islands. Liam McArthur made the point earlier that Highlands and Islands deserve transport networks that support communities—I think that just says it all.
17:46
I thank my friend Liam McArthur for bringing the debate to the chamber and I, too, add my congratulations to Tom McArthur, who will be delighted, I know, to see how significantly he has featured in the Official Report for this evening.
I also put on record my thanks to the Scottish Government for the investment that has been made in services from Wick John O’Groats airport, which has been warmly welcomed in Caithness and across the wider north Highlands. I am pleased that the case that I made to the transport secretary in the weeks after my election was well received, and I genuinely thank him for that early engagement. I also give real credit to the Highland Council, the North Highland Chamber of Commerce, Air Charter Scotland and everyone else who worked hard to secure that agreement. It was their efforts that demonstrated the strength of the local case and the importance of those services to the communities that we all serve.
As one of the most rural mainland regions in the country, reliable air connectivity is not just a luxury for people in Caithness and the wider north Highlands—it is a necessity. People across the far north should not be disadvantaged simply because of where they live. However, for many communities, travelling to Aberdeen by car can take seven hours, and travelling to Glasgow can take eight to nine and a half hours. The routes are about more than simply getting from A to B; they are about supporting economic growth, helping employers to attract and retain staff and ensuring that patients can access essential healthcare services.
We must recognise that the north Highlands also have a key role to play in Scotland’s economy today and in future. From clean energy and the transition from oil and gas to the continuing work at Dounreay, major opportunities exist for investment, employment and innovation. However, those opportunities depend on reliable transport connections. The same is true for tourism and the future sustainability of our rural communities. Good connectivity helps businesses to grow, enables people to access employment and public services, and makes it easier for families and young people to choose to live or remain in or move to the far north.
The withdrawal of commercial air services in 2020 demonstrated just how vulnerable that region is to transport isolation. Digital connectivity is important but it cannot replace the ability to physically move people’s skills and therefore support investment. Although I welcome again the Scottish Government’s investment, I want to make clear that the debate that we are having now must be the beginning of a wider conversation: we need a long-term strategy to support a resilient, sustainable and accessible air transport network across Scotland.
Like Liam McArthur, I am grateful to HITRANS and colleagues in the chamber for exploring potential options through the many international case studies that we have heard about. To create a model that works for the Highlands and Islands will require leadership from Scottish ministers; crucially, that model must be informed by the needs and perspectives of the communities that many of us in the chamber serve. The Scottish Government has taken welcome steps to take that work forward, and I recognise that progress, but there is a need for urgency.
We cannot expect communities, businesses and passengers to live year by year relying on short-term PSO support and wondering whether these vital routes will be there in the years ahead. If we are serious about delivering the economic growth that I spoke about in every part of Scotland and ensuring that people can access the services that they need, the routes will continue to be essential. As I said, multiyear funding is essential to guarantee confidence in these vital connections and to allow communities, businesses and operators to plan for the long term rather than facing uncertainty every year.
I welcome the Government’s engagement and the investment. I thank everyone who helped to secure it, and I urge Scottish ministers to continue to build on the progress that has been made, bring forward a long-term strategy and ensure that Caithness and the far north are absolutely at its heart.
17:50
I speak in this debate out of interest and support rather than direct experience, although, as members will know, I am deputy convener of the Transport Committee, which heard a lot about the proposed changes to the flights. One aspect of our first evidence session on the subject has particularly stuck with me. When I mentioned a letter from the Royal National Institute of Blind People, Gillian McCannon from NHS Western Isles told the committee:
“There will be an increased risk that people could go blind”.—[Official Report, Transport Committee, 24 June 2026; c 7.]
That was because the changes would impact on visiting NHS eye services. That illustrates the real impact that such changes can have on people’s lives, and it shows that the current system just does not work.
I am grateful to Lloyd Melville for raising that issue. I raised a similar issue with reference to my engagement with those in a similar group in Orkney. To be fair to the ophthalmology consultants in Inverness, they agreed to travel by car and ferry in order to protect on-island consultations, but that did not make it any less inconvenient for those travelling from the islands to the national treatment centre in Inverness, as I articulated in my speech.
I thank the member for that. We also need to take into account the added worry for patients.
Thankfully, the changes have been averted, on a temporary basis, due to intervention by the cabinet secretary. I was pleased to hear further details of the long-term summit that was held. However, we need to look at the PSO element, and I am glad that there will be a focus on that. Members may know that a motion on the matter is going to the SNP party conference, and I am hoping to speak to it. My close friend Euan Smith has been involved in that effort on behalf of the Western Isles branch of the SNP.
The current PSO regime is not fit for purpose. Dundee is a key example of that, albeit that it is only tangentially related. When a provider on a PSO can cut flights and then remove its crew base entirely, that goes some way towards showing that PSOs are not always worth the paper that they are written on.
I also have a little to say about market failure, which is a key element of the PSO regime. Transport Scotland’s definition is:
“Market failures arise where market forces alone do not produce an efficient outcome.”
It says:
“When this arises, businesses may make decisions that are financially rational for themselves, but not socially desirable.”
When folk who are from or deeply connected to the islands are forced to fork out hundreds of pounds and when the sole operator can chop and change flights on a whim with little engagement with affected residents or public bodies, that sounds very much like market failure to me. The fact that it has not led to a PSO on several of the lifeline services that islanders rely on is a key indicator that the current system is not working.
A strategic approach is absolutely needed, and public service reform is a golden opportunity to try to get it right. Instead of having a piecemeal approach, we should make sure that islanders and their families are included in the process at every stage.
We should make sure that all the moving parts, including operators and public bodies, are involved in the process. Transport Scotland is due to come back into the Scottish Government, and I make the polite suggestion that HIAL should follow suit. If we have a strategic approach, we need an empowered aviation directorate to oversee that, and we need to involve our island communities at every stage.
I pay tribute to Liam McArthur and Jenni Minto for raising the examples of other countries. The Nordics do it far better than we do, and we should continue to take inspiration from them.
Ultimately, the Government cannot be left plugging the gaps after operators make the changes. That would not be a sustainable situation. Operators need clarity on our approach. People who live on the islands or who have a deep connection to them need to be able to live their lives with the certainty that they can get to and from the islands more affordably.
Those are some suggestions, and I hope that the cabinet secretary will reflect on them.
17:55
I congratulate Liam McArthur on securing the debate and young Tom on his achievements.
For people in our islands and remote communities, air travel is not a luxury. It is how patients reach hospital appointments, how businesses reach customers, how families stay connected and how some communities remain viable. The reductions in services from Inverness caused alarm, but the problem is larger than just one timetable change. Less-popular routes, ageing aircraft, volatile costs and lack of competition make the network fragile.
Welcome as the short-term rescue funding was in the Inverness case—I praise the cabinet secretary for stepping in quickly on that occasion—it cannot substitute for a more coherent strategy, which is what we must have. The cabinet secretary convened a summit this week to look at the issue, and, when we hear from him, if he can, it would be good to hear whether that achieved anything and what the outcomes were. That would be really welcome.
The Transport Committee is looking at this issue seriously. We have a session on it again next week, and there will be more to follow. However, for today, we must surely all accept that there is a problem.
I will soon visit Shetland by plane, and, frankly, because I am paying for it, it will probably be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, because the fare is ruinous. I really want to go, but it costs about £500 return.
I thank Graham Simpson for taking my intervention, because the Minister for Public Finance will perhaps not be able to say this: it will be a visit of a lifetime. If it is of any reassurance, Loganair will offer not just a Tunnock’s caramel wafer but a small bit of shortbread.
Well, in part, that will make up for the cost.
It is a serious issue. I will just be visiting; I do not live there, but, if you live there or have to get there regularly, the cost is not sustainable or affordable. It is a real problem for islanders, so we have to do better.
There are different models around the world that we could look at. I quite like the look of the Norwegian model, which could be a useful comparison for Scotland. In Norway, when the market cannot provide an adequate service, the state purchases regional air links through public service obligation contracts. It specifies the route, frequency, capacity and maximum fares, and it tenders the service to airlines. The subsidy is tied to a defined public service, and it is not handed over without conditions.
For the contract period that began in April 2024, Norway tendered 24 regional route areas, and the programme cut maximum permitted fares by half—which is a good thing—increased capacity on selected routes and brought two additional links into the scheme, but it comes at a cost. The Norwegian Government said that the new contracts would cost the equivalent of £184 million every year. To me, doing something similar would come at a cost, but we need to see this as part of the public transport network, and that is why we need to invest in it.
Stephen Flynn ought to seriously consider—I am sure that he will be doing this, because I know that he is taking the issue seriously—the Norwegian model. We do not have to copy it exactly line by line, but we need a model that suits our geography, our existing public service obligations, the air discount scheme and the devolution settlement. We also have got to get value for money, of course, and accountability, but Norway shows that a Government can set the service, cap the fare and contract operators to deliver.
The Scottish Government, in my view, should use the promised regional air strategy to test that model and give our island and rural communities the long-term certainty that they deserve. I will report back from Shetland when I get back, slightly lighter in the pocket.
18:01
I congratulate Liam McArthur for securing the debate. I was pleased to sign the motion.
Loganair, which is based at Glasgow airport, provides a vital lifeline service to our island and remote communities across Scotland, but we must fundamentally question the long-term sustainability of its current ownership model. Right now, we have a system that socialises the risk through millions of pounds in public service obligation subsidies and the air discount scheme, while keeping the physical assets and strategic control entirely in private hands.
If we are going to treat regional aviation as the critical national infrastructure that it is, the state must take a more active role. At the very least, as the airline requires significant capital investment to decarbonise its fleet in the coming years, the Scottish Government should be looking at how we stop handing out blank cheques. We should demand an equity share in exchange for subsidy, securing a golden share in the airline and perhaps a seat on the board to give the public more of a say over the major network cuts or changes, in order to protect those routes from the volatility of a purely private market.
We should also be more ambitious than simply managing decline. Perhaps we could look beyond that to the principles of public franchising that are so desperately needed, as we know, to fix our municipal bus networks. Perhaps that could also apply to our skies.
Transport Scotland could have the power to specify routes, cap fares and mandate seamlessly integrated ticketing across air, rail and bus services. Furthermore, reflecting on Mr McArthur’s expedition with his son, Tom, to Canada, we have no direct Scotland-based or UK-based airline connecting Scotland across the great circle route of the north Atlantic to Canada and the United States. We are entirely dependent on Icelandair, Canadian Airlines and American Airlines. There is something to consider there. We need to consider how we could explore developing direct connectivity.
I know Norwegian Airlines tried to test it in Scotland in 2017 and pulled out with the Covid pandemic, but could we do more? Take the Icelandair model and the stopover scheme that it has pioneered. It has driven traffic into the country with the free seven-day stopover initiative. With a share in the airline, perhaps we could look at developing point-to-point routes, feeding our regional communities as the tourism opportunity emerges, such as the member for Argyll and Bute, Jenni Minto, mentioned.
If we could do that directly with an airline that has transatlantic connectivity from Glasgow, feeding directly into regional route transfers, perhaps that would open up more of the country to America and Canada. We are currently dependent on foreign airlines to do that, because British Airways as the flag carrier and Aer Lingus focus on Heathrow and Dublin, so we do not get the benefit of flows through Scotland. That goes to Dublin, Heathrow and Keflavik. Perhaps even a code share initially with Icelandair could be an opportunity. We know that the Faroe Islands state-owned airline, Atlantic Airlines, has that initiative, so perhaps we could consider that opportunity in the first instance as a lower-risk opportunity.
We need to consider a broader strategy for how we subsidise these airline routes that is not simply dependent on the purely state-funded loss-making routes. How do we develop an entrepreneurial strategy that drives connectivity internationally for Scotland, particularly across the transatlantic routes, which is the most lucrative air corridor in the world? We are right at the heart of it, but we miss out, because everything is flying over our heads. How do we look more broadly at an entrepreneurial proposition?
I call the cabinet secretary, Stephen Flynn, to respond to the debate.
18:04
Thank you, Presiding Officer—I can start my speech in only one place: congratulating Tom on his incredible success. I am sure that he is going to be delighted at the attention he has received in the chamber today. Having played football with Mr McArthur’s other son, I know that he clearly has significantly good genes when it comes to sporting events; I am sure that Mr Eagle can testify to that point, too.
On a more serious note, I thank Liam McArthur for securing this members’ business debate on what has become a topic of real cross-party interest, and I thank all members who have contributed to the discussion. As Mr McArthur’s motion makes clear, aviation connectivity is vital not just for Orkney but for many other island communities, including those in Shetland and the Western Isles. We often—justifiably—refer, as Tim Eagle rightly did, to some of those services as “lifeline” services.
I point out that the Argyll and Bute islands are also impacted in this regard.
Point made—absolutely.
In talking about lifeline services, therefore, I think that we all acknowledge their importance, and we do so, in many ways, by recognising that they can be used to access vital NHS medical services, as Lloyd Melville and Liam McArthur eloquently outlined. On that point, I think that it is important for members to acknowledge and reflect on the fact that Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government have provided funding to the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership to bring together NHS boards, local authorities and many stakeholders across the Highlands and Islands to support implementation of the Highlands and Islands health and transport action plan. That plan will directly support health boards to come together with transport partners to better plan for delivery, and it is a commitment in the current national islands plan.
However, the flights are crucial in many other ways, too. For example, they enable students to access education and allow workers to maintain the vital infrastructure that is required for everyday islands and rural life—indeed, as Mr MacKinnon rightly outlined, they take MSPs home, too. Some of us on the mainland may often take such connectivity for granted. However, ever since I took up my current post, I have been in no doubt whatsoever about just how critical for our island, coastal and rural communities reliable and affordable aviation services are.
It is fair to say that the Scottish Government has a long—and, I believe, proud—track record in supporting those communities. We maintain, at a cost of more than £30 million over four years, subsidised routes from Glasgow to Tiree, Barra and Campbeltown. Those allow residents to enjoy and access all the services that Glasgow has to offer, and to travel much further afield, as Glasgow airport continues to develop its selection of routes. I am sure that the airport is playing close attention to the suggestions from Mr Sweeney on what more could be done.
During my short period in post, I have also committed to continue our funding contribution to the subsidised service between Wick and Aberdeen, which has been newly extended to include Glasgow. That was touched on at length by Mr Green; I sincerely thank him for his very positive and constructive engagement on that issue, and I thank Maree Todd for her engagement, too. It shows what can be achieved when we work across party lines.
As has been outlined in the debate, members are familiar with the often high costs of travelling between our islands and the mainland. Although it is by no means always the case, fares can often run—as has been outlined—into several hundred pounds, which pushes them far beyond the reach of far too many people. That is why it is important that I take this opportunity to highlight our ongoing commitment to the Highlands and Islands air discount scheme, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. With the simple act of joining the scheme, eligible residents are immediately entitled to a 50 per cent discount on the core fare. The scheme is very popular, with almost 85,000 members, but it comes at a price, with around £15 million committed just last year.
The third way in which our policies significantly lower the cost of air travel is through our continued funding of HIAL, as has rightly been referred to, which totalled around £53 million in the previous budget. All of HIAL's airports require a public subsidy, as unfortunately they would not otherwise be commercially viable. However, this investment does much more than enable HIAL to maintain safe and reliable airports across its network; it also provides well-paid, specialist employment across the Highlands and Islands. In short, our support for HIAL is a good example of state intervention, because it significantly reduces the cost of services that are socially, economically and culturally vital, but would not otherwise be economically viable. As far as I am aware, there is rock-solid support for intra-Scotland aviation within this Parliament.
I have, of course, heard the serious and repeated concerns expressed throughout the debate, particularly about Loganair’s decision to reduce services from Inverness. I will address these concerns, but I think that it is fair to describe our wider track record first, so that we have a balanced and full picture. As was welcomed in Mr McArthur's motion—and by many communities and commentators—we reacted swiftly to provide extra funding to HIAL to deal with the negative consequences of these changes. The Scottish Government took some unjustified criticism—it would not have been appropriate or prudent to interfere in the commercial discussions that were always the quickest route to securing these services. The actions that we took also saved £250,000 from Loganair’s initial ask from the public purse—a not insignificant sum.
I want to make clear that I fully appreciate the critical role that Loganair plays in maintaining the connectivity that we are discussing here today. It was therefore heartening to see the company recently quoted in the Shetland News as saying, there is “no danger” of the Sumburgh, Kirkwall and Inverness service being cancelled, and confirming that threatening the route was “the wrong way” of negotiating. I support that constructive approach being carried into commercial discussions focused on next year.
It would be wrong to suggest that the temporary erosion of routes from Inverness is the only challenge facing Highlands and Islands connectivity, and we have heard that in the Parliament today. Various people remain concerned about the cost of flying, despite the record funding that we are providing for the air discount scheme. Some are concerned about ongoing viability of routes, or question whether we can take a different approach, perhaps by looking at countries such as Norway, Greece or Corsica as exemplars, as I heard. Each of them offers a different way of doing things, but each way has a consequential impact, whether that is in relation to cost or the way in which a service is delivered.
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Although I am conscious of time, I will let Mr Simpson in, if the Deputy Presiding Officer gives me the time back.
I am really keen to hear a little bit about the summit that the cabinet secretary convened, if he is able to say anything.
I was just coming on to that after I had addressed the point that Mr Simpson made in relation to Norway. When we look at the Norwegian model—and we must take into account the costs—it operates in a hub-and-spoke fashion, which is different to what we do, particularly with our Western Isles community and that direct connectivity into Glasgow. When we are looking at how we want to amend the system, we need to be cognisant of both the opportunities and the challenges that some of those suggestions pose.
I reiterate that I welcome any ideas that would lead to improved connectivity and reduced costs, which is why we invited stakeholders to our intra-Scotland aviation event, which was held this Tuesday—I apologise for this pun—and encouraged blue-sky thinking, as has already been outlined, about what an improved Scottish network would look like. I am pleased to advise Mr Simpson and Parliament that attendees from across the sector rose to that challenge, and I will now honour my commitment to continue that discussion with MSPs from across the Highlands and Islands in the coming weeks.
The Transport Committee is also continuing to look at similar issues, and I remain committed to working with the committee. That will include consideration of whether a regional air strategy for the Highlands and Islands is required and what it would do to end some of the current constraints and utilise some of the powers that we have.
I thank members for the constructive approach that they have taken to this issue, and I hope that we can continue in that fashion.
That concludes our debate in the name of Liam McArthur—also known as Tom’s dad. [Laughter.]
Meeting closed at 18:14.
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