Information Bulletin
02 November 2004
No Threat to Tingwall Airport
In response to speculation regarding the future of Tingwall Airport, Councilor Alastair Inkster, Vic-chair of the Infrastructure Committee, said today that there was no intention of closing Tingwall Airport. He said that the story appeared to emanate from a remark made at a meeting of the Infrastructure Committee during a debate on the establishment of a group to review internal air services.
The group was established as a result of increasing regulatory demands by the Civil Aviation Authority on the Council. The remit of the group is to carry out a full in depth review of internal air service provision, including infrastructure requirements.
"This group is about ensuring that air services, and the infrastructure that we need to operate them, can be continued into the future in a sustainable way" Councilor Inkster said. "There are issues here that must be looked at and Council officials have put in place arrangements for those elected members with the greatest interest in internal air services to be involved in the process right from the beginning. It is a great pity that people have latched on to a throwaway comment from one member and presented this as a threat to the service. The work of this group will be focused on securing future provision and I want to make it clear that there is no agenda to close Tingwall."
The group will report its findings to the Council by 30 September 2005.
Ends