Transport chiefs have expressed concerns over Scotland's lack of a cohesive national strategy for island air services, highlighting the need for integrated transport planning.
London, United Kingdom Jul 22, 2026 ALN: Transport chiefs have warned ministers that Scotland has no proper national plan to protect island air services as concerns continue over the reliability of ferry links.
The stark warning comes as communities across the Highlands and Islands continue to face uncertainty over transport connections following proposed cuts to Loganair services and years of disruption across the CalMac ferry network.
In a hard-hitting memo, the taxpayer-funded Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) says ministers must stop treating regional flights as isolated commercial routes and instead recognize them as part of Scotland's essential national transport network.
The organisation, formed by the Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency, states that the recent row over Loganair's planned timetable changes has exposed a far bigger problem than the loss of individual flights.
It warns: "The recent timetable changes have highlighted concerns that extend well beyond the immediate loss of particular flights. They have exposed the absence of a clear strategic framework for the future of regional air connectivity in Scotland and reinforced the need to consider aviation as an integral part of Scotland's national transport infrastructure."
Loganair has "temporarily reduced" flights from Inverness to the Western Isles as well as making cuts to the Inverness to Orkney and Shetland flights due to financial concerns.
The partnership that plans and coordinates services and infrastructure has called on the Scottish and UK governments to "urgently" produce a strategy for essential routes that are not commercially viable, following cuts to two island routes.
The regional airline described the cut as a "last resort" but stressed that the Inverness-Stornoway and Inverness-Kirkwall-Sumburgh routes had been losing money.
Transport Scotland has urged Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (Hial) and Loganair to "work collaboratively" on a solution.
The memo written by HITRANS partnership director Ranald Robertson has stated that while Scotland has long-term strategies covering roads, railways, and ferries, "there remains no overarching strategy defining the level of air connectivity that island and remote communities should reasonably expect or the wider contribution that aviation should make to Scotland's economy and public services."
The analysis puts fresh pressure on ministers over transport links serving some of Scotland's most remote communities after years of criticism over an ageing CalMac fleet, delayed replacement ferries, and repeated disruption to sailings.
HITRANS argues that air services should not be viewed in isolation because island communities depend on ferries, aircraft, roads, and rail working together.
It states: "Air services cannot be considered in isolation. The resilience of island connectivity depends upon aviation, ferries, roads, and rail working together as an integrated transport system."
The analysis has been distributed to MSPs who are examining Loganair's decision to reduce flights, with the airline indicating that the changes were driven by rising fuel costs, maintenance bills, and airport charges, although it hopes services can resume if additional funding is secured.
Rather than simply urging ministers to restore those flights, HITRANS suggests that Scotland should use the controversy to rethink how regional aviation is planned.
It argues that governments have spent years developing national policies for roads, rail, and ferries while aviation has largely been left to commercial decisions backed only by limited public support through schemes such as Public Service Obligations and the Air Discount Scheme.
The body, primarily financed by the Scottish Government and councils, calls for ministers to bring together Transport Scotland, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, councils, NHS boards, airlines, and economic agencies to develop a single long-term strategy for regional aviation.
It wants minimum standards guaranteeing island communities access to affordable same-day return journeys where possible for healthcare, business, and public services.
The HITRANS memo also calls for aviation to be fully integrated into wider transport planning alongside ferries, buses, and rail while recognizing the vital role flights play in helping patients reach hospital appointments and allowing public services to function.
The warnings echo four-year-old concerns raised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise during Scotland's ferry crisis. The agency argued that cheaper and more frequent flights should help relieve pressure on unreliable ferry services.
HITRANS states that no formal contingency plans currently exist to replace individual commercial air services if more routes are withdrawn.
Instead, it says discussions have focused on working with Loganair, Transport Scotland, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, councils, and NHS boards to preserve existing connections wherever possible.
However, it warns that any future response should go much further than simply replacing lost routes.
Possible options identified include support for new airlines entering the market, better links between flights and ferry services, and targeted support where healthcare connections are threatened.
HITRANS has indicated that it is already working with NHS Highland, NHS Western Isles, NHS Orkney, and NHS Shetland on a health and transport action plan to build a clearer picture of how many patients, relatives, and NHS staff rely on regional ferries and flights.
It states that evidence should shape future decisions so essential medical travel is fully reflected in long-term transport planning.
The partnership also argues that Scotland's economic future increasingly depends on strong regional aviation.
It points to research identifying more than 250 major investment opportunities across renewable energy, offshore wind, hydrogen, ports, marine industries, tourism, and life sciences worth more than £100 billion.
Rather than simply helping islanders travel to Scotland's cities, it asserts that future economic growth will depend on workers, investors, and specialist contractors traveling into the Highlands and Islands to build nationally important projects.
The report also challenges assumptions that demand for island flights is too weak.
It points to previous periods of airline competition when lower fares produced sharp increases in passenger numbers, including a 37.5% increase on Aberdeen-Kirkwall services between September 2017 and February 2018, a 33.4% rise on Glasgow-Stornoway over the same period, and 27.3% growth on Shetland routes between September 2017 and January 2018.
According to HITRANS, the evidence shows that lower fares can stimulate demand and strengthen the long-term viability of regional services.
The organisation also suggests that Scotland should consider managing regional aviation in the same way many cities are beginning to plan bus networks.
Instead of judging every route on whether it makes money individually, it argues that stronger services could support socially necessary routes that are less commercially viable but remain essential for island communities.
The memo concludes that ministers should now lead a national review of Highlands and Islands aviation rather than waiting for the next route to come under threat.
It states that the Scottish Government or Transport Scotland should take charge of bringing together all the key organisations involved in regional aviation and develop an evidence-led long-term strategy.
The transport body said: "The current challenges provide an opportunity not simply to address individual timetable changes but to establish a longer-term strategic approach to regional air connectivity that places connectivity at the heart of Scotland's economic development, healthcare delivery, and territorial cohesion."
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