Whistleblower highlights staff concerns on centralisation plan

The senior HIAL employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, says that when the centralisation plans were first mooted in early 2018, local staff met them with “a great degree of scepticism,” and many thought “it’ll never happen.”

Other than raising concerns through official channels, staff have been silent — until now.

While the whistleblower says the plans have been “steamrollered through”, with “complete contempt” shown by HIAL for the ATC workforce, HIAL maintains its staff have been asked for opinions, and the consultative process remains ongoing.

HIAL’s controversial plans will see air traffic control at five airports run by HIAL — Stornoway, Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Dundee and Inverness — centralised to a combined surveillance centre, located at Inverness’s New Century House.

The plans, which were set in stone earlier this year, will also bring a downgrade at Benbecula and Wick Airports with a review of services to be undertaken.

HIAL has cited the future sustainability of airports and the need for modernisation as its reasons for the changes.

There has been a backlash to the plans from several MSPs representing the Highlands and Islands, including Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan.

However, not everyone opposes the changes. Loganair has backed the proposals, impressed by the potential operational and safety improvements.

Our whistleblower says that staff agree that changes are necessary, but feels that the way HIAL has moved shows “contempt.”

The staff member said: “The ‘remote’ part was always an add-on to make the other parts — Surveillance Approach and Controlled Airspace (CAS), both of which we agree are needed and will be a definite safety enhancement — more cost-effective.

“HIAL has not really listened to the experienced workforce. This shows a complete contempt towards the ATC workforce. We did have a meeting with the HIAL board, where ATC issues were discussed openly and honestly, but still the board — none of whom have ATC experience — signed the remote project off.

“We agree that modernisation is required but remote towers are a step too far.

“It offers no increase in safety. if cameras are so good, let us have them but leave us physically in the towers!

“We are happy to work on Surveillance Approach and CAS, but the greatest safety enhancement would be a Tower Surveillance system, where we can see aircraft in the vicinity.

“I have never seen a more demoralised workforce, knowing that this project is being steamrollered through.”

Asked about fears for their own job, the source added: “My own future is of no importance since I can walk away any time, but I have a great deal of sympathy for the younger staff with families who really have no choice but to head to Inverness if this goes ahead, and older ATC officers who will need to retrain and gain a radar rating.

“HIAL are trying to be industry leaders, but that is not what we do. We provide lifeline services, and will never be self-funding.

“The technical difficulties have not been properly studied, equipment still not tried and tested and redundancies undecided.

“This is a project based on financial guesswork, which, unfortunately, I only see it ending one way, the same as other government projects — massively over-budget, massively behind schedule, and with no real safety improvement.”

Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd were invited to respond to the comments made in this story.

A spokesman said: “HIAL’s continued priority is to provide air services — particularly vital lifeline services to our island communities.

“However, we face a number of significant challenges that could affect our ability to continue to deliver our service into the future.

“We require a long-term solution that will address challenges, including staff recruitment and retention, provide resilience at our airports, meet impending regulatory requirements and assure air navigation service delivery well into the future. Our Air Traffic Management Strategy (ATMS) aims to address these challenges.

“HIAL will always do all that it can to ensure the longevity of air services to the islands and has committed to undertaking an island and community impact assessment as part of an ongoing consultative process.

“We have taken the views of our colleagues into account. They indicated Inverness was their preferred option, should relocation be required. Inverness is best suited from a technical, operational and staffing perspective. We continue to maintain an open dialogue with our colleagues and stakeholders, as we undertake this significant change.

“We appreciate the impact of the programme on individuals and the families, and our focus will be on our colleagues who we shall be consulting directly with to discuss how we can support them with the transition.”

Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan recently met with ATC personnel in Benbecula and Stornoway about their concerns, and he also attended a briefing session for MSPs which HIAL put on last month.

Following the meeting in Bebecula he has highlighted a number of concerns to the HIAL board and the Scottish Government.

He told the Gazette what those concerns were, detailing: “Over the last few weeks, I have received numerous emails and letters from Air Traffic Controllers in my constituency outlining their considered opposition to HIAL’s plans.

“There is also opposition from trade unions, the local authority, community organisations and the public at large.

“I have yet to find anyone in favour of these plans outside of the briefing sessions run by HIAL.

“At the inception of this project, HIAL stated that the introduction of remote towers controlled from a central facility was necessary in order to modernise air traffic control and comply with upcoming regulatory changes.

“However, virtually every ATC officer I have spoken to has been at pains to point out that they are in favour of modernising ATC infrastructure would welcome the implementation of Approach Surveillance and Controlled Airspace, provided it was carried out in the right way.

“They suggested this could be implemented locally by having surveillance technology installed in the existing towers and that this would constitute a far less drastic and more reliable option than Remote Towers.

“Two of the options in the Helios report introduced surveillance and controlled airspace while retaining jobs at the airports.

“As the ATC officers point out, these options are lower risk, utilise proven technologies, and are less costly.

“While I am aware these plans will need approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), it is extremely disconcerting to hear from ATCs about their concerns over the technical implementation of the project.”

He continued: “I also understand that the CAA are likely to require HIAL to install traditional primary/secondary radar systems at the airfields in order for the remote tower project to go ahead.

“Staff cannot understand why there would be a need for remote towers in the first place if the project would require the installation of radar at the airports anyway.

“HIAL has also claimed recruitment and retention difficulties are a major motivating factor for the Remote Towers project. I find it very difficult to accept that HIAL have exhausted all means of improving this in the Western Isles.

Depopulation is a serious concern and there have been multi-agency efforts in how we address this. There are recruitment challenges in the islands, but I believe HIAL should be engaging further with other island stakeholders and making itself part of the solution as opposed to centralising jobs to Inverness.

“This is especially hard for staff at Benbecula to comprehend, given that the ATC unit there has never, to my knowledge, caused HIAL staffing issues, and had zero closures and zero airborne conflicts. Benbecula Airport has seven ATC officers, four of which were specifically recruited locally to ensure they stayed in Benbecula.

“The majority of ATCs in the Western Isles do not want to relocate to Inverness. In a survey conducted by Prospect, only 18% of respondents said they would be prepared to relocate, with 11% prepared to commute and 60% stating they would not commute or relocate.

“Perversely, HIAL will be pushing away experienced ATCs while supposedly trying to address recruitment issues.”

“The relocation of jobs will have a disproportionally negative effect on the Western Isles, both within the local economies and wider communities.

“The direct economic impact on Benbecula will be severe, with these jobs representing more than 1.5% of the area’s salary base according to the EKOS report commissioned by HIAL.

“For that reason alone, HIAL should be pursuing alternative options which retain staff at both Benbecula and Stornoway.”

Mr Allan also highlighted that Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, has confirmed that HIAL will be conducting an islands’ impact assessment on the centralisation proposals.