Skye councillors will today be asked to approve steps to progress trial air services between the island and Glasgow at their regular area meeting in Portree.
The proposals have fallen foul of some local people, who have formed a protest group, Skye and Lochalsh Airport Discussion (Salad) and say some members will attend today’s meeting.
A short life working group, Skye Air Services, was formed in 2017 to look at the establishment of a two-year trial.
Transport partnership HiTrans, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Highland Council are members and the trial was mooted based on a positive business case undertaken by HIE in March 2016.
The case argues that air services between Skye and Glasgow will strengthen community resilience, give access to specialist health services, enable talent retention and attraction, diversify the economy and meet the needs of business.
Salad protestors are today posting placards up at a number of crofts with slogans including “flights for the rich or roads for us all”.
Campaigner Tom Stephens said: “Our members are protesting on a number of different grounds including damage to the local environment, an increasing carbon footprint, and that the project will benefit the wealthy who will have subsidised flights to take them to their holiday homes in Skye.
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“My own grounds for protest are that the HIE report of 2016 is now out of date- aviation fuel has gone up by 59%- and the economic argument is flawed.
“There is very little unemployment in this part of Skye, and our tourist economy is booming without air services.
“I can see south Skye becoming a place for second home owners, and the public purse should not be used to subsidise their flights.
“Public money should be used to improve our road and tourism infrastructure.”
A spokeswoman for Skye Air Services said: “On the aspect of subsidy it has to be acknowledged that there is an expectation that a commercial operation will not be viable, and the subsidy addresses the lack of commercial viability and also the remoteness aspect for Skye and the wider ‘fragile area’ hinterland.
“Subsidy requirements for air services to remote areas is not unusual. The options for subsidy are yet to be processed.”
Councillors will also be asked today to recommend the council spend a further £170,000 to undertake work towards getting the trial services underway.
