The Civil Aviation Authority remains unable to grant a licence to the Council for scheduled flights from Oban to the isles of Coll, Colonsay and Tiree. All the physical issues are resolved but the legal stand-off between the Council and Total Logistics Concepts (TLC), the fuel supplier based at the airstrip, continues.

This situation has seen admitted forced entry and damage to the site periphery; an act of potentially lethal sabotage by persons unknown to the fuel supply of the strip’s fire engine, refusals to comply with the legally necessary checking in of all personnel going airside at the strip and threats of legal action on both sides.

The fire engine sabotage led to a scene worthy of Dad’s Army. With a private plane coming in for an emergency landing with its undercarriage auto-release seized, the fire crew, unable to start the engine of the appliance, had no option but to attend the scene in a pick up truck and a minibus, wielding domestic fire extinguishers. Luckily the pilot managed to lower the gear manually - or farce could have become a tragedy caused by a criminally irresponsible act of mischief

Among the wider damage to the reputation of all concerned, to economic development and, potentially to lives, the licensing delays have produced a bill for the taxpayer of £300,00 for flights that have not taken off. The Council had planned to have the service operational by Easter.