Inverness, Sumburgh and Dundee among airports shut by strike

Six Scottish regional airports have been closed due to a one-day strike by air traffic controllers. The Prospect union members are in a dispute with employer Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (Hial) over plans to centralise some air traffic control. Scottish government-owned Hial says it must modernise the service. Benbecula, Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh airports were shut to all but emergency flights at 00:01 on Thursday for 24 hours. The strike marks an escalation in industrial action started by Prospect on 4 January this year. The action so far has involved an overtime ban and controllers refusing to work extensions to shifts except for search and rescue, emergency and medical flights.<br/>