Inverness is the only "profitable" part of HIAL and, after all the subsidies and pathetic/inept management the company has had and still does, even that is entirely questionable.
The whole of HIAL runs on subsidies from Whitehall and I pray for the day that Scotland is declared independant, thereafter, the idiots who believe that their economy is King will realise that their taxes are really subsidising everythning outside the central belt.
The vast majority of Scotland is funded by tax payers outwith Scotland, after independance they'll realise the folly of their pathetic asperations.

Bring it on;)

Niknak,
A lot of HIAL airports provide a vital service,including transporting patients to larger mainland hospitals with the Scottish Air Ambulance.Are tax payers in remote islands to be denied health care that everyone else gets?:hmm:

Does the government pay for Scottish air ambulance?

"The vast majority of Scotland is funded by tax payers outwith Scotland, after independance they'll realise the folly of their pathetic asperations"

Proof please. Unless you can susbtantiate this 100% then please don't make inane comments. Also please remember that the more remote parts of Scotland are now home to a great many English people who have tired with the way of life down south and according to English friends I know who have relocated, Whitehall. I have been amazed ( and heartened) by the number of 'ex-pats' who would be willing to give independence a go. As you say, 'bring it on'. (And PS. We have aspirations not asperations)

Scotland subsidies England???

Urm - where do my taxes go? Oh, to London!! :rolleyes: For such projects (read White Elephants!) as the 2012 Olympics, London Congestion charge etc.:hmm:

Indeed - bring it on! :ok:

Nothing wrong with Scots having ASPIRATIONS.

White elephants, don't forget the carbuncle south of the river :ugh:

Don't Think Wick made such a large drop in passenger numbers as quoted I think it is the way they collect the Passenger numbers figures thats wrong

Flybe to up capacity
 

On their website yesterday, such has been the demand on the MAN & SOU routes from INV, that they are bringing forward an increase in capacity, from a 145 to a DH8D - MAN route changes in July, SOU route to follow.

Assuming the routes are proving successful & remain in place, it would always have been their intention to phase out the 145, but it seems by bringing it forward they are proving even more popular than anticipated.

Good for INV :ok:

Inv/man/sou/bhx
 

If MAN - INV is doing well how would they describe BHX-INV?

April figures MAN - INV 1850 and BHX-INV 2400 which is an average of
40 or 82% load factor. Also noted that BHX-INV fares have increased
somewhat from April.

I assume MAN & SOU have a Q400 ready and BHX has not.

Pete

MAN & SOU are operated by the same ER4 presently, so I'd imagine they would both change to DH4 ops at the same time? The daily pattern is INV/MAN/INV/SOU/INV/MAN/INV.

BHX, EXT & BHD are each operated f/t the respective bases, while LGW is done by the INV-based E95.

INV-AMS link delayed.
 

Stated in the local INV rag that planned INV-AMS link by Eastern/Flybe has been shelved due to excessive fuel costs. Quote from HIAL MD and local MSP both blaming high fuel costs and general economic downturn for the reason.

Didnt rule it out for the future though, I guess its the sign of times which we find ourselves in!!

strike
 

will they strike this time
Industrial Action at North AirportsBack
30 May 2008

Industrial action by members of the Unite trades union may disrupt air travel in the Highlands and Islands in coming weeks.
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited was formally notified by Unite today (Friday 30 May) that it will be calling its members out on 24-hour strike action on 9 June and 4 July. The move comes after the union rejected the company’s 2007/08 pay award.
Of the 135 ballots recently issued by Unite, 74 were returned in favour of industrial action, 28 against and the remaining 33 not returned – representing a 55% vote in favour of action, equivalent to 23% of the company’s total workforce.
Unite’s membership at HIAL is principally made up of non-managerial grades within the Airport Fire Service (AFS) which provides mandatory rescue and fire-fighting cover at its airports.
HIAL operates 10 airports in the north and west of Scotland at Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick. Dundee Airport, which is operated by HIAL via a subsidiary company, is not affected by the threatened strike action. Unite has also agreed that its members will provide cover for air ambulance and search and rescue flights during the action.
As a company wholly owned by the Scottish Government, HIAL is subject to the UK Government’s cap on public sector wages and was limited to a maximum 2% pay increase for 2007/08. This award, effective from 1 October 2007, was fully backdated and implemented in the company’s May salary payments.
HIAL’s senior management met the union’s full-time official and staff representatives on 29 May to discuss the situation but was ultimately advised by the union that it would proceed with industrial action. Further talks have been offered and the option of independent arbitration.
A spokesman for HIAL said: “Industrial action, backed by only 55% of Unite’s membership in the ballot – equivalent to 23% of the total workforce – will just serve to disrupt travellers and the airlines.
“We understand that 2% may be a disappointing award in today’s economic climate but, viewed in the round, HIAL offers excellent terms and conditions of employment with earnings within the AFS well above the Scottish and regional averages.
“Clearly, we will do all that we can to avoid strikes closing airports but we have no more money to offer and no remit to do so. We are now preparing contingency plans to minimise wherever possible the impact of any strike action.”

Inv-ams
 

What a strange excuse. Surely that should mean that no airline should be starting any new routes from INV or from anywhere.

One wonders how much influence the London airports had in this reasoning as onward travel is so much easier through AMS than the dire South terminal at LGW.

Perhaps the 'authorities' should check out how many people are using Aberdeen to travel onwards.

Inverness passengers have been sold down the river by HIAL and BA as we can no longer use the LON airports to interline to other airlines. The baggage service at LGW South Terminal, having to recheck-in, along with the ridiculously long queues through security now mean that a connection time of at least three hours is required through LGW making it a total nightmare. How ridiculous is that?

Cancellation of the Saturday afternoon flight from LGW-INV last year caused a waiting time of over 10 hours to connect from a transatlatic flight and a 7 hour wait from a European flight for me on flights booked before FLYBE either took aver or once they had and they ceased to care about their passengers and just cancelled flights that had already been booked.

I'm back to using Aberdeen as 'Budget Inverness' is not serving the interests of many of the travelling public in anything other than one off cheap flights.

Come on HIAL ask us what we really want for Inverness. Cheap flights, yes, in moderation but for those of us who wish to travel further for our holidays, a few charters through the summer are not sufficient. For those of us travelling long haul.......the conections are so abominable as to not warrant thinking about using Inverness at all.

aer arran
 

aer arran is pulling out of INV from end of sep

will be missed

Like we didnt see that one coming......:bored:

AFAIK
its just for the winter.

Hmmm....we'll see. :hmm:

P&J reports new LH route to DUS
 

German airline giant to announce link with Highland capital - Press & Journal
Hmm, wouldn't have been my first guess for a new international route ...

flts to DUS???????
 

TALKS on introducing direct flights between Inverness and Germany are at an advanced stage and a service could begin early next year, The Inverness Courier has learned.
German airline Lufthansa is discussing the possibility of launching a route linking the Highland Capital with a German city, possibly Dusseldorf.
If state-owned Highlands and Islands Airports (HIA), which runs the airport at Dalcross, manages to secure the service it would be seen as a major coup at a time when most airlines are scaling back their operations.
A scheduled service with Europe has been a key goal of HIA for the past five years and would be welcomed by business leaders in Inverness and the region's tourist industry.
Last night HIA spokesman Nat Anderson was reluctant to go into detail but confirmed Germany was a target because of its potential for both business and leisure traffic.
"We have had positive discussions with a major carrier regarding a direct air link to Germany and hope to be in a position to make an announcement on the outcome of this work soon," he said.
A spokeswoman for Lufthansa would not confirm whether the company had been in talks with the airport or whether Inverness featured in its future plans.
"We are always looking at potential new routes," she said.
Inverness is the largest and busiest of HIA's 10 airports, handling more than 330 scheduled flights a week to Scottish and UK destinations plus Dublin.
It has not offered a scheduled route to Europe or Scandinavia since 2004, when budget airline Snowflake introduced flights between Inverness and Stockholm. However, just four months after the launch, the plug was pulled on the service.
At the time, Snowflake said it had over-estimated likely demand — passenger numbers between Stockholm and Inverness were not proving economical for the size of plane operating on the route.
Hopes had been high of resurrecting a service to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, with both Flybe and Eastern Airlines exploring the possibility of a tie-up with Dutch carrier KLM earlier this year. However, those plans were put on the back burner when the credit crunch began to bite.
Lufthansa, which employs more than 94,000 people worldwide, operates flights to 192 destinations in 78 countries.

Apparently twice weekly starting next summer. More in line with this year's seasonal services from DUS to NQY, JER and to a couple of continental destinations and by no means the long-awaited regular link to a hub. Nevertheless, nice route.

German airline giant to announce link with Highland capital - Press & Journal

Flights to Dusseldorf are now bookable. It is a once-weekly seasonal flight operating on saturdays. It will be on the ground at INV from 1145 to 1220. Flight to be operated by Cityline and starting on June 20, 2009. Equipment listed as a Canadair RJ700, so 70 seats. As far as I can see it, lower booking classes have not been put on sale yet, so the flights are pretty expensive at the moment. Seem to remember that it was the same with the seasonal flights last year, i.e. the lowest bookings classes only became available after a couple of weeks after the relase of the flights.

I priced 4 seats in august first week as it flies on a saturday

£3400 return for four :}:{

so thats going to last then :yuk::(:ooh:

Or you could drive to Edinburgh and get the same 4 adult returns with Jet2 for under £200! And they go 4 times a week.

Inverness Incompetence
 

I do understand that the weather in Inverness has been poor. However the sheer incompetence of the airport in dealing with the conditions amazes me. Closed for the past two days, still not open yet today. No one allowed to depart even if the surface is within their minima as the airport insists on clearing all contaminants.
Runway clearing before new year not commencing until 0600 when the first flight departs at 0630. Even when the snow has been forecast well in advance.
I hope all operators take Mr Lyon to task over this. Perhaps his resignation would appease them.

Rant Over!!

The joys of HIAL.

That is not the only airport doing that .

2 days closure? Jings Crivvens Help ma boab!

reopened this afternoon

Thomson Airways are operating a weekly (SUN) flight from INV to PMI from 13th June to 15th August.

Scr
exactly how long was it open for? Not exactly satisfactory one might argue.

silverknapper
it closed on 31st at aprox 11am
reopened on 2nd midafternoon
was not in so do not know when closed for the night but there were extention req in and these will always be accomadated were poss

You may want to check your times on the 31st.
And the snow clearing conversatio seems to have started with reference to other dates. And to be quite honest I agree with most of the original post. The airport has been unbelievably poor at arranging for FORECAST snow to be dealt with. GLA had it just as bad and managed to keep disruption to a minimum.
This must have cost all operators into the HIA jewel in the crown a fortune. I heard an EZY airbus in the hold absolutely incredulous that the airport wouldn't let him land even though the cleared width was 10m more than he required and the surface contaminant was well within limits.

silverknapper
last plane to land was the be6910 from koi/lsi a loganair s340 which came on stand at 1100am closed just after that during the turnarrond. the be6952 ex syy came in 10mins before and also did not get away.

but yet again snowclosed tonight

SNOWTAM
FROM: 10/01/04 18:55
A) EGPE B) 01041855 C) 05 D) NIL E) NIL F) 5/5/5 G) 4/4/2 H) 9/9/9 N) 5 R) 5 S) 042045 T) BRUSHING COMMENCED. SNOCLO 2100)

I see in the Paper they are putting team over to Scandinavia on a fact finding
mission to see if there is anything they can learn for again.:eek: Hilarious how much is that little jolly costing. At the end of the day snow is snow where ever it falls.:confused:

Inverness in decline?
 

Just looking at the departures and arrivals board on the internet and Inverness seems to be almost dead with arrivals from the south down to less than one per hour on average. What is happening up there? Is it really that quiet? I had heard that there were moves to upgrade the advisory but guess this level of trafic must cast doubt on that. Is it even quieter at weekends and in winter? Anyone got the CAA figures for Inverness trafic over the last few years?
bb

Inverness
 

Passenger figures for March 2010 - 42,121 (-7.4%)

Rolling year to end of March 2010 - 573,191 (-11.9%)

Much the same as most airports.

thanks for the info TSR2 ( great plane?) I think there might be an error in the post, could you check it? also do you have the last few years figures? also how many movements?

bb

bad bear,

you could always go to the CAA website and study the figures yourself .....

UK Airport Statistics | Data | Economic Regulation

Every conceivable breakdown of statistics there - just scroll down to the month or year you want

DD

Guys everything is down everywhere!

bad bear
 

The Inverness figures you request are as follows:

Terminal Passengers (x000)
2000 - 337
2001 - 343
2002 - 363
2003 - 435
2004 - 520
2005 - 539
2006 - 671
2007 - 697
2008 - 671
2009 - 583

Air Transport Movements (x000)
2000 - 8
2001 - 9
2002 - 10
2003 - 12
2004 - 15
2005 - 16
2006 - 17
2007 - 15
2008 - 14
2009 - 12