Barra Air Service – Twin Otters or Hard Air Strip

8 January, 2010 - 15:31 — admin

Barra Air Service – Twin Otters or Hard Air Strip

In 2001 the Labour Transport Minister for the Scottish Parliament, Lewis MacDonald, gave the Barra Air Service one year. In 2010 Barra is still waiting for a firm commitment from Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson, to ensure the long term future of the Barra Air Service; either by giving the go ahead to the construction of a hard air strip or by ordering two new Twin Otters to be operated on the route. In 2001, the Twin Otters were out of production and there were major concerns about reliability. The report which was commissioned into the feasibility of a hard air strip put the potential costs in excess of £10 million. The alternative to a hard air strip is that now, with the Twin Otters back in production, 2 new Twin Otters are ordered by the Scottish Government, owned by them and the route put out to tender in 2013 as planned. The Air Service to Barra is currently secure until 2013/14 under the Public Service Obligation (PSO). What is now needed urgently is a firm commitment from the Scottish Government to secure the service in the long term.    
 
We have been waiting for 9 years for this commitment