Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) is a company based at

Inverness Airport Inverness Airport ( gd, Port-adhair Inbhir Nis) is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north-east of the city of Inverness, Scotland. It is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL). The airport is the main gateway fo ...

that owns and operates 11

airports An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfac ...

in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

, the

Northern Isles The Northern Isles ( sco, Northren Isles; gd, Na h-Eileanan a Tuath; non, Norðreyjar; nrn, Nordøjar) are a pair of archipelagos off the north coast of mainland Scotland, comprising Orkney and Shetland. They are part of Scotland, as are th ...

and the

Western Isles The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

. It is a private limited company

wholly owned A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a sam ...

by the Scottish Government, and is categorised as Executive Non Departmental Public Body (ENDPB) of the Scottish Government.

History

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited was incorporated on 4 March 1986 by the

Civil Aviation Authority A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...

. In 1995, ownership transferred from the CAA to the

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...

, and to the Scottish Ministers upon devolution. The company was criticised for a PFI deal signed to build a new terminal at

, which meant that HIAL had to pay £3.50 to the PFI operator for every passenger flying from the airport. In 2006, the PFI deal was cancelled, costing the Scottish Executive £27.5m.

Funding

It receives subsidies from public funds under terms of the Civil Aviation Act 1982. For the year ending 31 March 2018, HIAL received £29.2 million of public money, of £20.6m was classed as revenue subsidy, and £8.6m was capital investment.

Airports

HIAL operates the following airports: * Barra Airport * Benbecula Airport *

Campbeltown Airport Campbeltown Airport ( gd, Port-adhair Cheann Loch Chille Chiarain) is located at Machrihanish, west of Campbeltown, near the tip of the Kintyre peninsula in Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland. The airport was formerly known as R ...

Dundee Airport Dundee Airport ( gd, Port-adhair Dhùn Dèagh) is located from the centre of Dundee, Scotland or, for navigation purposes, south of the city. It lies on the shore of the Firth of Tay and overlooks the Tay Rail Bridge. It is a popular tra ...

Islay Airport Islay Airport (also known as Glenegedale Airport) is located north-northwest of Port Ellen on the island of Islay in Argyll and Bute, off the west coast of Scotland. It is a small rural airport owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands A ...

* Kirkwall Airport *

Stornoway Airport Stornoway Airport is an airfield located east of the town of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland. The airfield was opened in 1937, and was then used mainly for military purposes. The Royal Air Force had an air base ( RAF Stornoway) the ...

Sumburgh Airport Sumburgh Airport is the main airport serving Shetland in Scotland. It is located on the southern tip of the mainland, in the parish of Dunrossness, south of Lerwick. The airport is owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) and ...

* Tiree Airport *

Wick Airport Wick John O' Groats Airport is located north of the town of Wick, at the north-eastern extremity of the mainland of Scotland. It is owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. The airport provides commercial air travel c ...

References

External links

Company website
{{Scottish Executive NDPBs Transport companies established in 1986 Aviation in Scotland 1986 establishments in Scotland Companies based in Highland (council area) Executive non-departmental public bodies of the Scottish Government