Extreme tides disrupts plane service 8/1/14
The daily lifeline plane to Barra - which has the world’s only beach runway - has been prevented from landing as scheduled because the tide refused to go out.
Extraordinary tide levels flooded the sandy airstrip in a rarely seen phenomenon.
The island’s Loganair aircraft plane was the unexpected victim of extreme weather conditions during an almost continuous chain of storms battering Scotland over the past fortnight.
Sea levels rose much higher than predicted, as low pressure weather systems exerted less weight on the ocean surface thus making it bounce upward.
It stopped the outgoing tides from receding as fast nor as low as they should, leaving the beach flooded for far much longer than expected.
Barra has the only airport in the world which handles regular flights. The timetable is geared around the tides at the Traigh Mhòr airstrip in the north of the island.
Gales often disrupt sea-going transport like ferries but are rarely an issue for planes especially when a following wind speeds up arrival times.
But the surging sea just would not clear the sandy runway to let the plane land.
Planes were forced to abort landings after flying up from Glasgow.
Some passengers risked getting up stranded on the wrong island after flights diverted to Benbecula some distance away and ferry connections were cancelled due to heavy seas.
Other flights were disrupted by hours as pilots have been forced to delay take-off from the mainland until the sea clears off the beach.
A Loganair spokesperson said: “In the last two weeks Barra and the surrounding area experienced the lowest atmospheric pressure in more than 120 years, particularly on Christmas Eve.
“During this time tides were well above published predicted levels, which are used by Loganair to establish timetables for operating aircraft in and out of Barra.
“The conditions at Barra presented continuous challenges to our flight crews and, in some cases, it was impossible and ultimately unsafe to adhere to scheduled services.
“Loganair, where possible, operated delayed flights or re-routed passengers via Benbecula with onward connections by ferry.
“This was not always possible as ferry sailings were also subject to the deteriorating weather conditions.
“Transport providers, be it land, sea or air, have all faced major challenges during the last two weeks and we are no different.
“Loganair made every effort to help our valued passengers reach their destinations. However, the safety of our passengers must always be our first concern.”
Tides are now back to normal levels.