Highlands and Islands Airports
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited is a company based at Inverness Airport that owns and operates 11 airports in the Scottish Highlands, the Northern Isles and the Western Isles.
It is a private limited company wholly owned by the Scottish Government, and is categorised as Executive Non Departmental Public Body (ENDPB) of the Scottish Government.
History
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited was incorporated on 4 March 1986 by the Civil [Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom|Civil Aviation Authority]. In 1995, ownership transferred from the CAA to the Secretary of State for Scotland, and to the Scottish Ministers upon devolution.The company was criticised for a PFI deal signed to build a new terminal at Inverness Airport, which meant that HIAL had to pay £3.50 to the PFI operator for every passenger flying from the airport. In 2006, the PFI deal was cancelled, costing the Scottish Executive £27.5m.