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Staff sickness airport reopens Staff sickness airport reopens
(30 minutes later)
Stornoway Airport has reopened after illness among air traffic control staff forced its closure on Monday afternoon.Stornoway Airport has reopened after illness among air traffic control staff forced its closure on Monday afternoon.
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) had to cancel five scheduled flights. Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) had to cancel five scheduled return flights, but it stressed normal services would resume on Tuesday.
HIAL said the shutdown was due to staff being unavailable through illness, however it stressed that normal services would resume on Tuesday. The shutdown was due to the duty controller falling ill and no-one else being available to take over.
Western Isles Council has branded the situation "unacceptable" and said it must not happen again.Western Isles Council has branded the situation "unacceptable" and said it must not happen again.
HIAL managing director Inglis Lyon agreed that it had been "thoroughly undesirable".
It is not the best position to be in at all and we take this opportunity to apologise to everybody affected Inglis LyonHIAL managing director
He said Stornoway was a victim to a world-wide shortage of air traffic controllers and there had been a gap between staff leaving and replacing them with newly-trained employees.
Mr Lyon said: "Clearly it is thoroughly undesirable - it is not the best position to be in at all and we take this opportunity to apologise to everybody affected."
He added: "The criticism is understandable and justifiable."
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) has demanded assurances that the situation will not be repeated.
Convener Alex MacDonald said the travelling public and business needed to know that there was a reliable service on flights to and from Stornoway.