There have been many reports this year about how the economy of Argyll and the Isles has been booming in recent times, most notably, of course, in the tourism sector.
However, there is no room for complacency and anything that threatens the future of the hospitality industry is to be resisted as fully as possible.
So it is worrying that there is growing concern over the provision of fights to the islands. These communities, some of them with already fragile economies for a whole raft of reasons, rely on often precarious transport links, principally ferries but also air routes.