A vision for the future development of the largest airport in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland was published today for public consultation.

The Inverness Airport Outline Master Plan sets out how future predicted expansion issues will be addressed at one of the fastest growing regional airports in the UK.

The plan sets out the changes to infrastructure and land use that will be required over the next 25 years both to accommodate and catalyse the airport’s development for the benefit of the region and its economy.

Current median passenger forecasts for the airport predict up to 1.2 million passengers per annum by 2010, 1.6 million by 2020 and 1.8 million by 2030. Inverness has seen 85% passenger growth since 1999 and is on target to handle around 725,000 passengers in the current operating year which will be its busiest ever.

The airport’s growth will also see it become an even more important economic driver for the region. It currently provides an annual economic output for the Highlands in excess of £120 million and supports 2,300 full-time equivalent jobs across the region. If passenger growth targets are achieved the number of jobs linked to the airport and the air services it enables to operate will increase by 250% to more than 6,600 by 2030 with more than 1,000 of these based at the airport.

The plan has been developed over the past two years by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited in consultation with airport users and stakeholders. It has now been published for consultation to give all interested parties an opportunity to comment on how growth will be accommodated on the site.

Early stage development identified within the plan includes:

• An expansion to the current terminal building to increase passenger throughput capacity.
• Expansion of aircraft parking stands to accommodate more scheduled movements.
• Modifications to taxiways to improve utilisation of the airport’s main runway.
• Increases to short and long stay car parking.

The rationale of the plan has been borne out by recent capital investment made at the airport by HIAL to provide long term parking, additional apron space and the first phase of a project to provide seven-day radar cover. All items originally highlighted in the initial master planning work which began in 2004.

The first phase of terminal expansion is currently being scoped by HIAL and will form part of a capital funding bid to the Scottish Executive in February 2007.

The plan also demonstrates that all future growth can be logically accommodated within the existing airport estate which extends to 185 hectares with the exception of an extension to the main runway which might be required in response to demand for larger aircraft to operate longer range scheduled services.

Inglis Lyon, managing director of HIAL said: “The publication of Inverness Airport’s outline master plan for public consultation represents the beginning of an exciting new phase in the airport’s history. In it we set out a blueprint for the future of the largest airport in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland which is a major catalyst for economic and social development.

“In the years ahead the range of air connections Inverness provides to the rest of the UK and internationally will develop, making this region a more attractive place in which to live, work and invest. The number of quality jobs it supports will grow as will the number of people travelling into the region for business and leisure. The existing £120 million annual contribution to our economy will also increase.

“The opportunities for achieving growth and delivering new benefits are particularly exciting at Inverness because of its size and location. In the years ahead we therefore aim to work with our shareholder, the Scottish Executive, to make the investment necessary to allow the airport to reach its full potential and provide the greatest benefit possible to the region,” said Mr Lyon.

This year has seen the introduction of new scheduled services between Inverness and Benbecula, Dublin, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool and Southampton. A Belfast City service will start in mid-December followed by a Nottingham East Midlands service in February.

Mr Lyon said: “The airport is a vital element of the region’s transport network and we are working closely with a number of key partners in the public and private sectors on development issues. Examples include improving surface access, promoting inbound tourism and facilitating economic development activity through the Inverness Airport Business Park joint venture.

“Now we are affording the wider community the opportunity to view and comment upon our development plans. We want to hear as many views as possible, from as wide a range of people as possible. This consultation will feed into the final review of the plan before its adoption in February 2007.

“Our ultimate aim is to ensure that the airport’s future development is efficient and that the appropriate investment is made at the right time to deliver the maximum benefit for the region while improving the overall business performance of the operation at Inverness,” said Mr Lyon.

The master plan proposals can be viewed as an exhibition within the terminal building at Inverness while full and summary copies of the master plan can be downloaded from the Inverness Airport section of the www.hial.co.uk website. All responses to the consultation should be submitted to HIAL by 19 January 2007.