Chamber and committees

Petitioner submission of 14 November 2021

PE1804/RR - Halt Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd's Air Traffic Management Strategy

Currently, HIAL and the Prospect Union are in discussions to find a mutually agreeable approach to modernising Air Traffic Services. While hailed as a breakthrough by some it has been met with scepticism by myself and my former Air Traffic colleagues.

I believe that HIAL have not returned to the negotiating table because of the Islands Impact Assessment, the opposition to their plans from communities, MSP's, MP's, Councils, the Press or even the Citizens Participation & Public Petitions Committee. It appears to me that HIAL have decided to talk as they have hit one or more of the obstacles that makes the ATMS project unachievable within the current ATMS budget and timescale.

These obstacles have been pointed out to HIAL since the conception of the ATMS project and can be found in previous evidence submitted.

By returning to negotiations, HIAL appear to have torn up the current ATMS timetable and replaced it with an open ended one. The reason given is that HIAL need up to 5 years to implement Surveillance (commonly called radar) at the ATMS airports. Surveillance was always part of the ATMS project. HIAL planned to use an ADS-B system that only shows controllers aircraft that are carrying the correct equipment. The CAA currently require that Primary radar is used as well, which shows all aircraft in flight. This was pointed out to HIAL by myself and my former colleagues a long time ago. We were ignored.

The evidence submitted by the Transport Minister on 05th October 2021 says that despite many discussions between HIAL and the CAA there is no firm timeline to allow the use of ADS-B only Surveillance. This explains why HIAL is delaying by 5 years. Primary radar was dismissed by Helios as being prohibitively expensive and has not been budgeted for, as confirmed by the former Transport Minister in his evidence PE1804/KK. In my opinion, HIAL are buying time in the hope the CAA will change its mind. Unfortunately the taxpayer is paying for that time. Delays are extremely expensive.

HIAL state that, meanwhile, Inverness ATC will be moved from the airport and provided remotely from the Combined Surveillance Centre. Why?

There are no operational, safety or financial reasons to justify this. It is a complete waste of taxpayers money. So why are HIAL doing it? I believe that there are 2 possible answers. The first is that HIAL have no intention of keeping Air Traffic Control on the Islands and will press ahead with Remote Towers at all ATC airports, so the talks with Prospect are meaningless. The second is that HIAL are too proud to let go of Remote Towers completely.

The decision by Prospect and HIAL to discuss Benbecula and Wick separately is extremely disappointing. They are not separate from ATMS and I hope they are not being used as pawns in negotiations. Downgrading these airports from an Air Traffic Control Service to a Flight Information Service remains unacceptable. The impact on the community served by Benbecula will be profound and Wick will suffer a drop in traffic and may have difficulty finding an airline to operate the proposed PSO routes. Downgrading is a decrease in safety and is opposed by all Air traffic staff, politicians and the communities these airports serve. It will result in a less safe, less flexible operation and will lead to airborne conflict, putting passenger aircraft at risk. It will also cause unnecessary delays and cancellations to aircraft using these airports during bad weather. I am extremely disappointed in Prospect for agreeing to discuss their future separately.

It seems to me that the wheels are coming off HIAL's ATMS juggernaut yet it rolls on leaving damage in its wake. I feel it needs to be steered into the scrapyard of history and left there.

I believe that HIAL as an organisation must get a blank sheet of paper, sit down with the representatives of the communities it is meant to serve and redesign itself. The Board and Senior management, in my opinion, have completely lost sight of their role, which is to run airports efficiently for the benefit of their communities, not squander taxpayers money on unnecessary projects.