Campaigners told Government is committed to lowering air fares

Campaigners from the Islands Against Flybe & Loganair’s Excessive Prices Facebook campaign met with Derek Mackay, Scottish minister for transport and the islands, in Glasgow today, Tuesday.

Scott Preston, founder of the campaign, explained: “Although the minister could only offer us 30 minutes, it was plenty of time to share the concerns of the campaign group. We discussed prices and reliability and it was clear that the minister had read many of the messages on the Facebook page and had taken into account the many representations he had received from MSPs and individuals alike.

“We specifically addressed what the Scottish Government could do to assist us in bringing down fares that are crushing our island economies and pulling apart families and Mr Mackay was interested to hear some of the real-life experiences from individuals who had been in touch.”

Mr Preston added: “The minister was very keen to stress that he, and his team, were committed to finding a long-term sustainable way to lower costs for air travel to and from the islands, which was a very positive outcome. It is clearly a particularly complex issue due to the numbers of people and organisations involved, so there is no short term fix, which means solutions won’t happen immediately, but it appears all parties are keen to work together to find a way forward.”

Mr Preston said that they are now seeking  a meeting with Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to explain the impact of the costs on the islands communities and the UK Government to address the issue of Air Passenger Duty.