LIFELINE airline services are to be grounded after on Thursday as it was confirmed air traffic control staff are to go on strike as a dispute over cuts was not resolved.

State-owned Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) has confirmed six airports will close on July 29 as a result of strike action by members of the Prospect union.

Prospect had warned that the long-term future of lifeline services on Scottish islands is "at risk" through "staggering" plans to centralise air traffic control for seven airports and have triggered public safety fears.

HIAL said that result of strike action by air traffic controllers, Benbecula, Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh airports will be closed to all but emergency flights on Thursday for 24 hours.

Inglis Lyon, HIAL’s managing director said: “We apologise for the inconvenience this day of strike action will cause. The disruption will impact our passengers, airline partners and the communities we serve at a crucial time in the recovery from the effects the Covid pandemic.

“It is extremely disappointing that strike action is going ahead despite months of work with Prospect to agree a number of policies to support our colleagues’ transition to our Air Traffic Management programme. We are still in talks with the union on a commuting policy and appeal to Prospect to conclude those discussions before considering any further escalation of industrial action.”

Loganair has previously confirmed that it will be unable to provide flights at airports operated by HIAL during the strike.

Prospect has confirmed that current industrial action short of a strike will remain in place before and after the day of strike action.

It marks an escalation of a dispute over centralising some operations.

HIAL has been pushing ahead with plans to relocate air traffic work to one "remote site" in Inverness prompting fears that public safety at risk, according to the union.

Under HIAL's plan, air traffic control for Inverness, Sumburgh in Shetland, Dundee, Kirkwall in Orkney, and Stornoway in the Western Isles would be controlled centrally.

Unmanned towers would feed information to a hub in Inverness.

It is claimed it will involve the removal of seven existing towers at Inverness, Dundee, Shetland, Orkney, Wick, Benbecula and Stornoway.

The Prospect union said the move would result in the loss of 50 jobs.

Since January the Prospect members have refused to work overtime, co-operate with HIAL's air traffic project and refused to assist in the training for new recruits.

The Herald:

Loganair previously stated that the industrial action would affect six airports: Inverness, Sumburgh, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Benbecula and Dundee and it will be cancelling all flights on July 29 to and from the five airports impacted.

It said that customers booked to travel on this date will have the option to transfer their booking without any change fee or difference in fare to another Loganair flight – on an alternative route if they wish – or to obtain a full refund if they no longer wish to travel.

The Prospect union, has said that the long-term future of lifeline services is at risk through the plans said some members were unwilling to relocate.

An escalation of industrial action introduced in March included an overtime ban and a refusal of extended hours except for search and rescue, emergency and medical flights.

It also involves a refusal to commence training of new controllers.

That action was in addition to a continuous action short of a strike notified on the December 21, which started on January 4 consisting of a refusal to engage with proposals to centralise air traffic control for seven airports which involve shutting down seven traffic towers.

Previous analysis from Prospect, which represents air traffic control staff at HIAL airports, suggested that moving air traffic control to Inverness would remove around £1.5m of direct employment from rural and island economies and would "run contrary" to the recently published Islands Plan produced by the Scottish Government which owns HIAL.

Proposals for a single remote tower centre - said to be a UK first -were first mooted three years ago as part of HIAL plans to "future-proof" its operations with an estimated £28 million investment over the next ten to 15 years.

Air traffic controllers would be moved to a central hub, the location of which had not then been decided.

HIAL said in December it would continue its dialogue with the union and has denied it was proposing job cuts.

In May executives at HIAL insisted their controversial plans to centralise air traffic control are on track despite a damning independent review of the project. To assist customers in bringing forward their travel arrangements before and after the strike, there were to be extra services tomorrow evening departing Kirkwall at 19:00 and arriving into Aberdeen at 19:50 and from Aberdeen to Kirkwall on Friday 30 July departing at 06:10 and arriving into Kirkwall at 07:00.

Loganair had planned to operate larger aircraft on several other services on Wednesday and Friday to provide additional seats to help customers re-arrange their travel plans.

Flights to and from Islay, Barra, Tiree and Campbeltown will be unaffected as the Flight Information Service officers who oversee arrivals and departures at these airports are not part of the dispute.

Loganair’s teams were checking whether it may be possible to provide inter-isles air services within the Orkney Islands on Thursday.