GA to be evicted at Inverness -ACT NOW

[Kiltie]

Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd., a government (ie taxpayer) financed company which owns Inverness Airport, has made the following statements in its' "Inverness Airport Master Plan":

"Approach to the study
Consultees have included:..........Inverness Flying Club....."
(nb I am unaware of any consultation taking place with other private aircraft operators based at Inverness Airport)

"Master Plan Proposals"

Short term - 2006-2010
"Light Aircraft - growth in scheduled, executive and freight traffic will ultimately require light aircraft to relocate away from Inverness as has been the case at other expanding regional airports"

Medium Term - 2015 to 2020
"Light Aircraft - light aircraft will have moved from the airport due to development requirements and the prioritisation of scheduled traffic."

Questions that need answered by HIA are:

Which other "expanding regional airports" were included in the study to justify such proposed abolition of GA?

What are the statistically recorded runway occupancy times at INV that justify such a move? Have HIA studied Aberdeen, Glasgow, Manchester International etc. who each accomodate light aircraft?

How can the revenue raised in landing fees, parking & hangarage of light aircraft be totally dismissed in preference to public funding bridging the intended shortfall?

Which "light aircraft" do Inverness refer to? Light singles? Light twins? Aircraft used for pleasure rather than business? Any aircraft not exceeding 5700kg MAUW? Does this mean the eradication of charter flights in light aircraft?

What studies have HIA performed to relocating hangarage / parking etc. to a remote corner of the airfield that cannot be otherwise "developed" as they describe?

Have HIA informed the Scottish Tourist Board that they intend to block access to the Highlands' primary airport by tourists in light aircraft?

As a private, profitable company, these plans, to the light aircraft owner / visitor, would be reluctantly accepted as the prerogative of the airport owner. However, when the airport is funded by YOU, the taxpayer, such plans to ignore an important, and exisiting source of revenue is entirely unacceptable.

Inverness has no local alternative for the housing and operating of light aircraft. Such a move to displace its customers on what is an ill-thought through plan will affect many of us.

Please make the effort to communicate your views to HIA, who have asked for feedback to their plans, by Friday 19th January 2007.

[email protected]

[wbryce]

Another intergalatic spaceport in the making...
I done my night rating at Inverness, couldn't be a better place IMO...I think overall in my 5 hours, INV had 2 movements. Shame really...in the long term GA's got a large fight with the development proposals and silly spaceports plans like this one.

[Keef]

It's an excellent airfield, with helpful and friendly ATC. I can't believe that some bureaucrat in an office somewhere thinks it's busy enough to turn away paying customers.

I've written to ask if it's true, when I was consulted, where I go to ask for a judicial review, and asking for confirmation that they won't be after my taxes to pay for their Spaceport.

[CRX]

Hello 'H',
Have sent an e-mail explaining my concerns to JW yesterday.
I hope to god it gets read and digested. Would be gutted to lose use of the 'N' when it comes back from restoration....
Give me a shout if you need me to do anything.
P.

[A and C]

Lanched my missive to the short sighted Inverness management team, it is interesting to see that they think that 1.2 million passengers by 2010 is such a large number that the movements would so overstreach there two runway airport that there would be no room for light aircraft.
I have to ask how Hamburg manages to have a large GA community and fly 11millon passengers (2006 numbers)from a two runway airport?
Quite clearly the Inverness (sleepy hollow) airport management have been badly infected with the "we are a BIG airport" syndrome.
All it shows is the lack management's lack of insight, flexibity and business accument, this brings into question if these people should be trusted to wisely use the public money that the airport receves as a grant from the tax payer.

['India-Mike]

I sent an email almost a week ago. No reply. Presumably this is the norm, and they'll just list the objections received?
I assume that light aircraft visitors will not be permitted either, or only at exorbitant BAA-level costs. If so this'll take out a vitally important aerodrome for visiting private pilots as well.
HIAL aren't an impressive organisation at the best of times. This issue will just make them worse.
We've got so-called elections to our pretendy wee parliament up here this year; they pay for HIAL; and HIAL have just pee'd-off one of the great and good (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6270917.stm) Got to be a good time to rattle their cage over this issue.

[Single Spey]

As I understad there are already moves in place to increase the charges to GA using the airport. :{