48-hour airport strike causing ‘minimal’ disruption

Around 120 staff of Hial’s security company AMSL walked out at noon today in a dispute over pay, holidays and sick pay.

The action has forced the closure of scheduled flights to and from Dundee, although the airport remained open for private or chartered flights.

The remaining 10 airports scattered across the Highlands and Islands operated as “normal”, according to a Hial spokesman.

He said: “We have been working hard throughout the day to ensure that passengers across our airports are not inconvenienced by this industrial action and we would like to thank the many Hial staff who have volunteered to support this effort.

“We obviously regret that Dundee’s scheduled service to Stansted has been suspended for the duration of the strike.

“However, aside from this, there has been no disruption to passengers, with 10 of our 11 airports operating a normal schedule.”

He added: “We would like to thank passengers for their patience and cooperation and remind anyone travelling for the duration of the strike action to arrive early for their flight and limit the amount of liquids and luggage they bring to the airport.”

The strike comes after talks last week between unions and management ended without agreement.

The Prospect union has already threatened further walkouts if a deal cannot be struck.

HIAL managing director Inglis Lyon said: “Whilst we are disappointed that the industrial action is taking place, we have been working hard to develop contingencies to enable the airports to remain open and minimise the amount of disruption for our passengers.

“We would like to thank passengers, in advance, for their co-operation and understanding during this period, and we would also like to thank the local teams for their support and helping it be business as usual.”

HIAL is owned by Scottish ministers and operates airports in Inverness, Dundee, Campbeltown, Islay, Tiree, Barra, Benbecula, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Kirkwall and Wick.