Airport operator weathering turbulence with Loganair
22 July 2024
Highlands and Islands Airports (HIAL) has expressed disappointment with the way Loganair slammed Stornoway Airport workers after the Stornoway to Edinburgh flight was cancelled yesterday (Sunday) evening.
The airline lashed out at security staff, saying they “refused” to handle the flight which was running way behind schedule.
When asked, Loganair did not reveal the reasons behind the delay, declining to add to their social media postings regarding the incident.
Loganair’s plane - the last scheduled flight for the day - was due to leave at 4.45pm.
But the airline wanted staff to stay on until around 8pm - long after their working
day ended - so they could organise an aircraft following timetabling problems.
Some of the “stranded” air passengers travelled off the island on a late night sailing of the CalMac ferry MV Loch Seaforth.
A HIAL spokesperson highlighted: “Our security team at Stornoway, as with all our teams at HIAL airports, regularly go above and beyond to accommodate extensions requests from airline partners and voluntarily stay on beyond airport opening times for late running schedules wherever possible.”
HIAL explained: “Stornoway received an extension request yesterday for over two hours beyond airport closure at short notice due to schedule delays earlier in the day.
“Unfortunately, on this occasion we did not have the required resource to support this request.
“It is disappointing that comments were made on social media blaming our hard-working
team for the cancellation of the flight.
“HIAL will continue to work with all of its partners to support air connectivity for passengers and the communities it serves.”
Last night Loganair’s chief executive, Luke Farajallah, hit out: “I am absolutely dismayed at the decision of the HIAL airport security team in Stornoway to leave the airport and to refuse to handle the flight.
“The 45 passengers who have been stranded will doubtless now have considerable disruption to their onward journeys, thanks to this decision by the HIAL airport security team.
“We know that many of these passengers will have been flying to Edinburgh to connect with international flights.
“The Loganair team pulled out all the stops to ensure an aircraft and crew were available and were willing to go the extra mile in the name of providing a flight for these customers.
“We sincerely hope this decision will be thoroughly investigated, and that it is
a unique, one-off event driven by exceptional circumstances, and that in future the
teams from Loganair and HIAL will work together to ensure customers always come first.”
