MSP fights airport car park fees
11.11.09
Plans to introduce car park charges at Shetland's main airport, Sumburgh, will meet ‘fierce opposition’, Tavish Scott, the MSP for the islands, said. He added that the price of flying to the mainland was already high enough without adding costs.
Highlands and Islands Airports (HIAL) is introducing airport parking fees in January. Orkney travellers have already been told they will be paying up to £3 a day from 6 January. However, Mr Scott said Sumburgh Airport was far from the main town of Lerwick, public transport was patchy and most passengers needed to use cars.
Mr Scott, a former Scottish government transport minister, said that when HIAL asked him for permission to impose parking charges in the Northern Isles several years ago, he turned them down. He said if the Government backed airport authority pressed ahead with the plan, there would be fierce opposition from him and many other travellers who already paid ‘more than enough’ to travel to Scotland.
He said: ‘The flights to the island airports are lifeline flights and, even with the benefits of the air discount scheme, the cost of flying is high. For passengers to face additional charges to park their car would not be acceptable.’
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