The Board of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited approved the capital investment of almost £700,000 at its December meeting.

The Benbecula project, scheduled for completion in the spring, will involve a small extension to the existing building to house a new departure area while minor internal reconfiguration will accommodate new hold and cabin baggage x-ray screening facilities.

The work will also involve upgrades to the building’s heating, ventilation and lighting systems which have reached the end of their working lives.

Inglis Lyon, managing director of HIAL said: “NASP requirements have required us to make significant investment at the Islay and Wick terminal buildings in recent years. Benbecula is the last of our terminals that requires upgrading to meet Department for Transport requirements and to ensure that it remains fit for purpose for the years ahead.”