While Loganair is a carrier known for its close ties to Scotland, it is far from the only regional airline to have been based in the country. Indeed, for nearly two decades, a small carrier named Highland Airways plied its trade from a base in Inverness. Let's examine the history and fate of this now-defunct airline, which went into administration on this day in 2010, after almost two decades of operations.

A brief history of Highland Airways

Not to be confused with Highland Express, an unlikely former Boeing 747 operator that was based in Scotland in the 1980s, Highland Airways began life in 1991 as Air Alba. It started out in a rather understated manner, operating as a flying school for the first four years of its existence. It took on the name Highland Airways in 1997, and landed its first major contract the following year, in 1998.

This saw the airline selected to fly charter cargo services out of Inverness Airport (INV) for the newspaper industry. These flights hopped between various Scottish islands, delivering the papers and other cargo as they went. In addition to this, passengers were also carried onboard these flights. Other charter work arose that year, supporting the oil industry with flights from Aberdeen Airport (ABZ).

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British defense contractor BAE Systems even chartered the carrier's services to fly daily between Glasgow Airport (GLA) and Filton Aerodrome (FZO), near Bristol. However, despite these successes, and managing to grow its workforce to 100 employees in 2008, March 2010 ultimately saw the airline run out of steam.

According to the BBC, the carrier ceased operations and was placed into administration 13 years ago today, on March 24th that year. Its debts were found to be over £3.2 million, with £1.13 million owed to its creditors. In the wake of Highland Airways' collapse, Scottish carrier Loganair took over some of its island routes.

Aircraft and routes

Highland Airways' main operating base was located at the aforementioned Inverness Airport, which is situated adjacent to the Highland Aviation Museum. From here, it served a wide range of Scottish destinations, with most of these being found in the Hebrides at the time of its closure. Indeed, Highland Airways' Hebridean destinations at this time were Benbecula, Coll, Colonsay, Stornoway, and Tiree.

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Highland Airways flew its service between Benbecula and Stornoway under contract from the local government.Elsewhere in Scotland, it flew to another mainland destination in the form of Oban Airport (OBN). The carrier's network also stretched as far as Wales, serving both Cardiff Airport (CWL) and Anglesey Airport (VLY) as part of an intra-Wales route that connected the country's north and south.

In terms of the aircraft that Highland Airways operated, its fleet consisted of various small turboprop designs. According to ch-aviation.com, the largest of these was the Franco-Italian ATR 42-300QC, of which it operated one example in 2002 and 2003. The data from ch-aviation also lists the likes of the British Aerospace Jetstream 41 and the Dornier 228-100 and 228-200 as having been present.

The other Highland Airways

This particular carrier was not the first to operate under the name Highland Airways. Indeed, April 1933 saw the formation of Highland Airways Limited by Captain Ernest Edmund "Ted" Fresson. It commenced services the next month. One of the airline's biggest achievements was opening the UK's first internal airmail route.

May 1934 saw the first service along this new airmail corridor between Inverness and Orkney. The service used a de Havilland DH.84 Dragon 1, flown by Fresson himself. The carrier eventually became part of Scottish Airways in 1938, with this carrier itself being absorbed into British European Airways nine years later, in 1947.

Did you ever fly with Highland Airways? If so, on which of its aircraft did you travel? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Sources: BBC, BBC, ch-aviation.com