Transport connections to the Islands descended into chaos today as the Home Office decided to impose tighter restrictions on internal air travel. Security has been intensified across the air industry as a direct response to yesterday’s terrorist attacks in the United States.
British International, the helicopter operators, and the Steamship company, the Skybus operators, were made aware of the new Home Office regulations in the late morning. It is thought that these decisions was made by David Blunket, the Prime minister and other home office officials during the emergency cabinet meeting at Downing street this morning.
Flying to and from the Islands was postponed for over four hours while a more stringent security structure was imposed. It is thought that the police and the army are working together to implement precautions.
Flying was only resumed in the late afternoon which meant that many tourists were left waiting in terminal buildings. During similar delays, passengers waiting for a flight have been provided with free drinks and sandwiches. Many who would normally have complained at delays stayed silent today in respect; they knew these delays could not be helped.
In the late afternoon and early evening, the helicopter and Skybus services resumed operations and were working frantically to get everyone to their destination. By this time, rain had set in and visibility was becoming poor. It was eventually decided that a second sailing of the Scillonian was not needed. One of British Internationals staff told Scilly News that both helicopters were working to their capacity and that they were “extremely busy”.
If there is one thing that the past few days have taught us, it must surely be that security for internal flights should be taken seriously. The thinking behind these most recent precautions is that it is better to be safe than sorry.
