News / HIAL seeks £2.5 million from SIC for urgent runway repair
SHETLAND Islands Council could have to pay up to £2.5 million to carry out urgent repairs to the east extension of the Sumburgh Airport runway should the Court of Session find the local authority to be liable for the defects.
Since 2007 Highland and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) has spent around £400,000 on patching up damages to the runway extension, which is exposed to the open sea.
HIAL managing director Inglis Lyon said the infill stones inside the rock armour were continuously being washed away by heavy seas, a structural problem that now required major engineering work estimated to cost £2.5 million.
The £10 million extension to the east, and the west, of the main Sumburgh runway, completed in 2006, was a joint HIAL/council project, designed and managed by the local authority.
Mr Lyon said on Friday that HIAL had no choice but to go to a judicator after the council refused to enter into discussions with the airport operator over who was liable to pay for the repair work.
“We were looking for a dialogue with the council. The council chose not to engage, and as a consequence we went into the judication process.
“The judicator said the council was wholly liable for the design and the defects, and that is why he awarded the £2.5 million to ourselves. This is the entire cost for the repair which we expect the SIC to pay,” Mr Lyon said.
Disputing some of the finding of the independent judicator, the SIC went to the Court of Session, which held a two day hearing into the matter just before Christmas. A ruling is expected in six to eight weeks time.
Mr Lyon said the procurement process for the work had started this week, adding that HIAL was hoping to be able to commence repair work in spring this year with a completion date set for October or November next year.
He said operations at Sumburgh Airport would not be hampered as work would mainly be carried out during quieter periods or in the evening when the airport was closed.
“Operationally the airport remains as is, but we need to get the runway repaired.”
He added: “We are operating airports in fairly remote regions of the country that are subject to the extremes of the environment. As such anything we build, be it terminal buildings, runways, or work to prevent coastal erosion, is normally built to last.
“So, yes, everybody was surprised to see the extent, and the ongoing danger, of the damage at Sumburgh.”
Shetland Islands Council declined to comment due to the ongoing legal process.
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