Information Bulletin
13 June 2006
Inter Islands Air Service Contract Award Confirmed
Following the announcement on 2 May 2006 that Shetland Islands Council had appointed Directflight Ltd as the preferred bidder, the Infrastructure Committee today confirmed the award of the inter island air service contract to the Bedfordshire based company. The Council is in the process of acquiring a brand new Islander aircraft to provide the service but this will not be delivered until the autumn. In the meantime, arrangements have been made to lease a refurbished and upgraded aircraft which will deliver the service from 1 August.
As well as confirming the award of the contract, the Infrastructure Committee today agreed that the option of purchasing a second aircraft to support the service to the remote island communities should be evaluated. Should this option be agreed it would improve on the back-up response time for the service and the added capacity would provide a significant opportunity to further develop internal air services.
Confirming the decisions of the Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Jim Irvine, Chair of the Committee, said "The decisions taken today should provide further reassurance to the remote island communities that the Council is determined to secure and improve their lifeline links. I am very keen indeed to pursue the acquisition of a second aircraft because this will give us a huge amount of flexibility and the potential to significantly enhance the air services provided to the small islands."
"Although it is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive, the Council has been concerned about the lack of local capability to respond to medical emergencies with the recent changes in the air ambulance service and I would also like to see what we can do with the Council owned aircraft to alleviate that situation. With two aircraft in the system there are possibilities to improve things on that front as well. All in all, and subject to a positive evaluation, things look set for the islands to have a higher level of service than I can recall in over 30 years association with the service."
Captain Gordon Mitchell, the Council's Transport Spokesperson, is a retired pilot and he added his support to the comments made by Councillor Irvine. "While recognising that this is a time of change for the service, and that with change comes uncertainty, I think the level of commitment from the Council is a demonstration of the solid support for these island communities" Captain Mitchell said. "I too am hopeful that the evaluation on the purchase of a second aircraft will be positive and that we can open the door of opportunity for service improvements. I have no doubt that such a step change in the level of service provision will be both economically and socially beneficial for all the communities concerned."
Ends.....
Note to Editors
Directflight Ltd are based at Cranfield Airport and they have experience of operating throughout the United Kingdom and further afield. From 1991 to 2004 they provided two piloted aircraft (based at Prestwick) to the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency for its offshore maritime surveillance operations. They currently have contracts with DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), and FAAM (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement ) in addition to various Defence Agency and Police Air Support Unit contracts.