A pay dispute at affecting Scottish Highlands and Islands airports has ended after a deal was reached.
The row led to industrial action across all 11 airports run by state-owned Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (HIAL).
However, the Unite union confirmed that the action involving 120 members is over after a revised pay offer was accepted.
The deal reached ensures a basic salary rise of 7% for those earning up to £44,000, and a 5% increase to shift allowances.
Unite represents security staff, baggage handlers, ground crew along with those working in fire and rescue, security and administration.
The Prospect union also agreed the deal while the PCS union is still balloting on the offer.
HIAL is a private limited company wholly-owned by the Scottish Government. The 11 airports across the group are Barra (pictured), Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick.
Loganair aims to partially restore services on affected routes from April 24 – one week earlier than initially scheduled.
The airline had suspended flights from the gateway of Inverness airport as unions announced a period of industrial action short of a strike between March 17 and April 30.
With work-to-rule plans eliminating the airline’s ability to co-ordinate its operations with confidence across March and April, flights from Inverness to Sumburgh via Kirkwall and Inverness and Benbecula via Stornoway were withdrawn to give passengers certainty and time to make alternative travel arrangements.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “We are heartened and relieved to learn of the settlement of the pay dispute between Highlands and Islands Airports and unions representing many of its employees.
“With this news, we can all now focus on delivering a busy summer season ahead – the first full year of open international travel since the pandemic – without fear of rolling disruption to island flights from strikes and work-to-rule actions.
“We have reviewed all possibilities to restore suspended services between HIAL airports earlier than initially anticipated, and we are happy to confirm that flights from Inverness will resume on Monday, 24 April, one week earlier than previously planned.
“These will go on sale from Thursday, 23 March. In the meantime, Loganair continues to offer services on all other routes to Benbecula, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh, including the inter-isles air service between Benbecula and Stornoway.”
Unite industrial officer Shauna Wright said: “The deal secured at the HIAL Group represents a significant shift n position from when the industrial action by Unite members started in December.
“There has been movement by the company, and ultimately the Scottish government, which has brought the dispute to an end for Unite.
“We are pleased our members will receive a significant boost to their pay and conditions. We are also urging the Scottish government to grant HIAL the flexibility to negotiate with trade unions going forward and this must entail a review of how the public pay policy actually works in practice.”
HIAL managing director Inglis Lyon said: “The most recent offer exceeded the original flexibility of the Scottish government pay policy, providing a 7% salary uplift for those earning £44,000 or less, a 5% uplift for those earning up to £80,000, with 4% over that salary level.
“We are sorry that the industrial action and route suspensions have caused considerable disruption for passengers and our customers, particularly for those on our island communities who rely on our airports to support essential and lifeline services.
“We also apologise for the significant impact the action has had on our airline partners.
“This positive result will provide our partner airlines with the certainty they require to plan air connectivity for their passengers.”