9 August 2016
+VIDEO The Scottish airport on a cockleshell beach – Barra – has celebrated 80 years of operations. The airport is a lifeline for the island in the Outer Hebrides with a scheduled service by Loganair operating Twin Otters and a popular destination for private pilots.
In a ceremony on Monday, Scottish Government Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf MSP, buried a time capsule containing whisky, an engraved Quaich, messages from management and a selection of the best illustrations visualising Barra Airport’s future appearance.
A special community showing of the 2016 remake of Whisky Galore, starring Eddie Izzard and Gregor Fisher, rounded off the day’s celebrations.
The inclusion of whisky in the buried time capsule invokes the infamous tale of the SS Politician: a cargo ship which ran aground off the nearby Isle of Eriskay in 1941 while carrying 28,000 cases of malt whisky. The story goes that locals rescued countless bottles and crates from the stricken ship and buried them across the island to evade customs officers – a tale that would later inform the plot of both the original and contemporary releases of Whisky Galore.
Inglis Lyon, managing director of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, said, “The airport delivers a vital service to over 10,000 passengers a year and opens up opportunities to connect island businesses with the mainland, supporting the local economy.
“The iconic Barra beach landing attracts a great deal of attention from film makers around the world and the local team here are always so accommodating, helping to promote the island as a bucket list destination while at the same time, operating and managing an airport with growing passenger numbers.”
Jonathan Hinkles, managing director of Loganair said, “Loganair has been privileged to operate Barra’s lifeline air services since 1974, maintaining this vital link occasionally in challenging weather conditions.
“We’re proud to include the times subject to tide cachet in our schedules and look forward to doing so for many years to come.”
Barra Airport was voted the world’s most stunning landing spot, following a global poll of passengers and pilots.
