Highlands and Islands Airports Limited today said it expects nine of its airports to be closed to scheduled flights on Monday 23rd June due to strike action over pay by trades union Unite.
Unite represents fire fighter, leading fire fighter and engineer grades within the company and is staging 24 hours of industrial action at HIAL on 23rd June and 4th July.
The airports at Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick are all expected to be closed to scheduled traffic due to the unavailability of rescue and fire fighting staff.
Staff at Inverness are not taking the action and the airport will be operating as normal although flights to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles from Inverness are likely to be affected. Dundee Airport, also operated by HIAL via a subsidiary company, is not affected by the strikes.
Airlines will be formally notified of the airport closures later this week and will then have to make their arrangements with passengers who had booked to travel on Monday.
Unite has agreed that its members will provide cover for air ambulance and search and rescue flights during the action.
An HIAL spokesman said: “If Unite does not change its mind regarding joint working with the company on the issue of pay we expect nine of our airports will be closed on Monday. This is clearly very disappointing as closures will affect many people’s travel plans next week. Regrettably, unless the union is prepared to suspend the action and work with us there is nothing more that we can do to avoid this happening.”
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