Inverness flight cancellations 'simply appalling', says MP
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A spate of delayed and cancelled flights impacting on Inverness air passengers has been described as "appalling" by a Highland MP.
Inverness and Nairn MP Drew Hendry has added his voice to the growing sense of frustration and concern following recent disruption to air passengers travelling to and from the Highlands, prompting some to question the reliability of air services.
The latest cancellation was this morning's EasyJet flight to Bristol due to the planned aircraft being unavailable.
The airline also cancelled its Gatwick to Inverness flight on Saturday night due to safety reasons.
One impact was the cancellation of the Rag’n’Bone Man concert in Inverness on Sunday as members of band were due to be on that flight.
"The rate of cancellations and delays we've seen recently has been simply appalling, affecting locals and visitors alike," Mr Hendry said.
"No wonder people are fed up. Many people rely on these services as well as our tourism industry and business. I've experienced these delays and cancellations with them, and it is incredibly frustrating when meetings have been planned or long-awaited holidays are disrupted.
"Poor communication from airlines, particularly EasyJet, is compounding the problem.
"The issues they face are symptomatic of wider post-Brexit staffing and reliability challenges faced by many industries, yet this doesn't excuse leaving passengers in the dark.
"Our region needs reliable and effective air connections and that is clearly not happening. This situation is yet another example of the Highlands being ill-served by a UK Government obsessed with sticking with their Brexit no matter the cost."
Today's cancelled flight follows other recent delayed flights and cancellations.
In a post on social media, one passenger said the situation was putting her off booking return Inverness to Gatwick flights in October.
The concerns are shared by Inverness councillor Ken Gowans, chairman of Highland Council’s economy and infrastructure committee.
He said reliable transport services were absolutely critical to the region.
He said people needed good air services from the region to get connections to other destinations while incoming flights brought people to the area.
“It is very disappointing and I feel very sorry for anyone who has experienced problems,” said Cllr Gowans, who is also a board member of the regional transport partnership HiTrans.
“We would hope this is a temporary state of affairs and would look for reassurance from the operators that people can rely on them.”
He said the situation would be monitored and if necessary, the concerns would be raised at a higher level.
