The initial progress of the largest ever capital project undertaken by HIAL was reviewed today by the airport operator's outgoing and incoming managing directors.

Bob Macleod and Inglis Lyon visited Sumburgh Airport in Shetland to see work which recently started on the major partnership project to extend the airport's main instrument runway. The work, which will cost circa £10 million, involves extending the airport's 09/27 runway with land reclamation from the sea at both runway ends.

The extraction of infill material from the Wilsness Hill area of the airport site began two weeks ago and work is already underway on extending the runway base. Balfour Beatty is the principal contractor and Shetland Islands Council is providing project management services.

The project has been the key aim for the members of the Sumburgh Airport Strategic Partnership for more than two years. The partnership comprises HIAL, Shetland Islands Council, Shetland Enterprise, and Sumburgh Airport Consultative Committee. The project is also one of the Highlands and Islands Strategic Transport Partnership's (HITRANS) infrastructure priorities for the region.

Funding commitments from the SASP partners and the Scottish Executive, via HITRANS, were finalised earlier this year along with match funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme 2000-2006.

The project has a target date for the extended runway becoming operational by 31 October 2006 and will facilitate the development of the Wilsness Hill site for airport and commercial uses in the longer term.

Bob Macleod, who retires as HIAL's Managing Director at the end of May, said: "The lengthening of the runway will allow larger aircraft to take off and land, improve the reliability of passenger services and make it possible to develop new scheduled and oil industry traffic at Sumburgh.

"A huge amount of effort on the part of everyone involved in the project has gone into realising it and I am pleased to see work on site now underway and progressing well," said Mr Macleod.

Inglis Lyon, who joined HIAL last week as a director and who will assume the post of Managing Director on 27 May, said: "It is clear that effective partnerships form an important part of HIAL's work throughout the region served by our airports. I look forward to working with our partners in Shetland on this and other projects in the months and years ahead."

Mr Macleod and Mr Lyon also met with staff at Kirkwall and Wick airports during their familiarisation visit to HIAL's most northerly airports.

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