Hebridean Islanders
On the west coast of Scotland one airline has forged a unique and highly valued link with the island communities it serves. David Ransted profiles Hebridean Air Services.
David Ransted
Hebridean’s two Islanders are not often seen together, but were both used to bring visitors to a special event on Islay.
HEBRIDEAN AIR SERVICES VIA THE AUTHOR
The Britten-Norman Islander’s robust design and construction is ideally suited to the passenger loads, short flight sectors and tight turnarounds on the airline’s routes. It’s also perfect for the smaller airfields and shorter runways on Coll and Colonsay.
HEBRIDEAN AIR SERVICES VIA THE AUTHOR
From the resort town of Oban, Hebridean Air Services links the Scottish mainland with four of the Inner Hebrides islands: Islay, Tiree and the smaller and less populous Colonsay and Coll. The air link was launched in 2008 by Highland Airways but was taken over by Hebridean on April 6, 2010 when the former ceased flying. Previously owned by George Cormack, Hebridean was sold to the large and diverse Cranfield-based Airtask Group in September 2016. Although now based in Oban, the airline retains a presence at its former headquarters at Cumbernauld Airport, northeast of Glasgow, where the author talked to Ground Operations Manager, Martin McWilliam.
Islanders for islanders
Hebridean Air Services operates two nine-seat Britten-Norman BN2B-26 Islanders – G-HEBO (c/n 2268) and G-HEBS (c/n 2267) – both are painted in the airline’s eye-catching all-yellow livery. While one aircraft and two pilots are based at Oban for scheduled flights to the islands, the second is held in reserve at Cumbernauld Airport for cover during maintenance as well as flying ad hoc charters. The two Islanders joined the fleet separately, G-HEBS arriving in late 2007 and G-HEBO in 2012, although coincidentally they came off the Britten-Norman production line consecutively in the early 1990s. Before joining Hebridean both Islanders flew in Japan where they fulfilled a very similar role to their current occupation, one with Shin Chuo Koku (New Central Airlines), linking Chofu Airport near Tokyo with four of the islands in the Izu archipelago off the coast of Honshu, the other with Nagasaki Airways/Oriental Air Bridge, flying to islands off Kyushu.
The robust and sturdy Islanders are ideally suited to the passenger loads, short flight sectors and tight turnarounds on Hebridean’s routes, and flying to the smaller airfields and shorter runways on Coll and Colonsay. As is so often the case with Islander operators, the question “What could replace the Islander when the time comes?” is met with a short pause followed by “Another Islander!”