Highland and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) has announced it is pausing the air traffic control service review at Benbecula Airport for five years.
It was looking into proposals that the services could be controlled remotely from a hub in Inverness, but will now delay plans in order to wait for any upcoming changes to UK aviation regulations.
The airport is expected to make a decision on a separate review on the plans for the air traffic control at John O’Groats Airport in Caithness on Monday.
David Avery, negotiator with Prospect Union, said: “HIAL’s announcement of a five year pause on the review of the Air Traffic Control service provision at Benbecula airport is a welcome one for the island and for our members, preserving both service level and high value jobs.
“This was Prospect’s final point of contention with HIAL on their review of Air Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) and marks a victory for common sense.”
In January, HIAL dropped its plans to centralise its air traffic control operations with controllers at Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh relocating to a new hub at Inverness airport.
Prospect, which striked against the move, claimed it would have put 50 jobs at risk.
Ministers in the Scottish Affairs Committee heard from Inglis Lyon, managing director at HIAL, who explained that the airport was still working on the £9m project, which has cost the public £3m a year since it started, but on other areas.
He added: “There are a number of moving component parts to it to the method of surveillance, primary, secondary radar, or new technologies out there.”
It is estimated the capital spent by the Scottish Government this year is around £40m, with some of the money attributable to the ATMS.
The company, owned by the Scottish Government, is to prepare a new business case following the suspension of part of its air traffic modernisation plans to present to Transport Scotland for approval.
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