Loganair suspends island flights amid Hial industrial action

Loganair will suspend flights between Inverness and some island airports for at least six weeks, as a result of industrial action at the Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (Hial).

It will affect services from Inverness to Stornoway and Benbecula, and from Inverness to Kirkwall and Sumburgh.

The flights will initially be suspended from Friday 17 March and until at least Sunday 30 April.

Union members at Hial will engage in work-to-rule action amid a pay dispute.

Loganair said customers booked on affected flights would be contacted and offered the option of rebooking on alternative routes or a full refund.

The Scottish airline said the industrial action was unpredictable and that it was impossible to reasonably assure the provision of a service.

Union members including baggage handlers, ground crew and security, fire service and administration staff, recently went on strike after rejecting an improved pay deal in February.

The action affected almost all of Hial's 11 sites.

Prospect, Unite and the PCS union previously rejected a 5% pay offer made last year. Unite said the offer was unacceptable given current inflation levels, which are at a 40-year high.

It criticised Scottish government-owned company for not making an improved offer.

Hial said it met with union representatives on Wednesday, but it did not table a formal offer. Unite confirmed that industrial action would continue as planned.

Meanwhile Unite called on the Scottish government to intervene and for Hail to make an improved offer to avoid "further disruption or Easter shut downs".

Hial's managing director Inglis Lyon apologised for the disruption the suspension will cause island communities.

He said: "At the meeting with the trade unions we sought, and obtained, clarity on the key elements on their claim in a bid to resolve the dispute.

"The unions appreciate Hial's position within the complexities of the wider public sector pay discussions.

"It is vital that we find a mutual solution to resolve this dispute and will now discuss our options within the parameters of public sector pay flexibility with the Hial board and Transport Scotland."

A spokesperson for Loganair said the company had carefully considered all other options before deciding to suspend the flight paths.

They said: "We have sadly concluded that it's simply not realistic to continue our efforts to provide services between Hial airports when the action short of a strike is intended to disrupt and counter those efforts at every turn.

"The suspension provides advance - even if unwelcome - certainty around which our customers can adjust travel plans, as opposed to facing the risk of on-the-day flight cancellations or significant delays."

The spokesperson said Loganair hoped to resume flights once the dispute is resolved.