The potential need for 24 hour operations at Inverness Airport was raised as part of the wider airport master plan work carried out in recent years.
During the preceding decades, the airport’s opening hours have been extended on numerous occasions to meet the commercial needs of operators. The airport also regularly extends its published opening hours to accommodate, for example, scheduled flights and charters. HIAL is therefore seeking to formalise the existing arrangements.
As part of the airport’s development it will be important for HIAL to be able to extend opening hours to develop the market for scheduled, charter, freight and other traffic at Inverness. However, there are no plans to do so in the immediate future or until such time as there are commercial opportunities to justify the associated costs.
HIAL opened discussions with the local planning authority in 2006. The council and HIAL jointly sought legal opinion in 2007 on the issue with regard to existing planning legislation[1].
The outcomes of this work are now being presented to The Highland Council’s Planning, Environment & Development Committee on 23 January with a recommendation that HIAL will not require to seek planning approval for future extensions to its opening hours at Inverness.
[1] The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992
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