Councillors support Flybe in fight against airport landing fees

Highland councillors fear rising landing charges at Gatwick will squeeze regional airports such as Inverness.

HIGHLAND councillors are to mount a campaign to retain Inverness as a regional air hub amid fears rising landing charges at Gatwick and increased competition with Heathrow for long-haul routes will put a squeeze on shorter flights into London.

Members have unanimously given their support to Flybe which is challenging the increased landing charges at Gatwick and are to seek meetings at Holyrood and Westminster to highlight the importance to inward investment and the Highland economy of daily air links between Inverness and Gatwick.

They are also to seek the support of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities as they believe this will become an issue for all regional airports.

Flybe currently operates a three-times-a-day service between Inverness and Gatwick. The new operators of Gatwick Airport, Global Infrastructure Partners, successfully applied to the Civil Aviation Authority for permission to raise its landing fees. The new charges represent a 15.7 per cent rise for smaller aircraft, which are mainly used by regional operators such as Flybe, with a five per cent rise for larger aircraft.

Council leader Michael Foxley said: "I am delighted that this important issue has received cross-party support as it is crucial that the Highlands have a good and affordable air link with the UK’s capital city.

"This is a key issue for all Scottish airports and we need to widen our campaign to include COSLA and the Scottish and UK governments.

"Any increase in fees will inevitably need to be passed on to customers and the real danger is that this will make the route less profitable and therefore less viable. It goes against the whole ethos of promoting Inverness and the Highlands as both a place to do business and as a tourism destination."

See Wednesday’s Caithness Courier for the full story.