Financial tide comes in for the world's only airfield on a beach

Twice a day, the cold waters of the Atlantic sweep across the runways of Barra airport, wiping away the tracks of the planes that provide a lifeline to the remote Hebridean island from mainland Scotland.

But all trace of the world's only beach landing strip for scheduled flights could be obliterated by government cost-cutting measures.

A decision by the Scottish Executive to review its PSO (public service obligation) to subsidise flights to and from the most southerly tip of the Western Isles could mean the end of the island's flights and the closure of one of the most unusual airports in the world.

The introduction of a faster ferry service to the island has prompted the Executive to review the need for the air service, which costs about £350,000 a year in subsidies and caters for about 9,000 passengers.

"It is a lifeline for the island as it allows people to get on and off the island regularly in a reasonable time," said Donald Manford, an island councillor. "It is the main link we have to medical services and to take it away after almost three quarters of a century is a shock and a betrayal."

Since June 1933, the wide shallow bay of Traigh Mhor (Cockle Strand), near Barra's northern tip, has provided space for three runways. They are mapped out on the sand, allowing daily flights from Glasgow and the neighbouring island of Benbecula to transport locals, visitors and cargo. The 140-mile trip to Glasgow takes little more than an hour on one of the De Havilland Twin Otters run by Loganair. Crossing by ferry and travelling on to Glasgow, the journey takes more than five hours.

"Thousands of people come here every year for the beauty and tranquillity and because it is is easy to fly," Mr Manford said. "In the summer months, it is hard to get a seat on the plane, which can usually take about 12 passengers at a time, plus some cargo.

"If they stop the flights and the journey becomes more complicated, how many visitors will bother to make the extra effort to come here? On an island where the agriculture and fishing industries are under threat, tourism is the last major income earner. Take that away and you will finish us off."

The beauty of Barra's airport has become an attraction in itself. In summer, numerous private planes make the journey so that amateur pilots can experience the pleasure of landing on a beach.

The airport fire brigade spends most of its time dealing with stranded dolphins rather than aircraft emergencies, while cockle collectors are warned to watch out for aircraft.

At night, on the rare occasions when the airport is used for emergency flights, pilots are guided by reflective strips set into the surface of the sand and a row of vehicle headlights.

Gary Fudge, the island police officer, is chairman of a campaign committee set up to save the airport. "The small St Brendan's Hospital in Castlebay is limited in what it can cope with and there are infirm local people who use the plane to go to hospital in Glasgow," he said. "The feeling is unanimous that something has to be done, and quickly, to save our air link.

"One woman, whose daughter regularly gets ill and needs to be in hospital and on oxygen within four hours after an attack, won't be able to get that help if all we have is a ferry."

The costs of running the tiny airport without a government subsidy would be prohibitive, the reason islanders fear it would have to close. Mr Manford said: "The Executive claim a bigger ferry, cutting 10 minutes off the journey between Barra and South Uist, is an adequate replacement for a direct flight to the heart of one of the biggest cities in the UK. There is a widespread feeling of shock and disbelief over this proposal.

"The last thing we ever expected from a Scottish government in a new century, and the first Scottish government in almost 300 years, is that they would seek to remove the island's link with the mainland.

"They have defended this move by suggesting it is just a trial to see if passenger numbers will fall once the new ferry service comes into being.

"But we think, if anything, the ferry will increase demand for flights as more people travelling through the islands will come on to Barra and want to fly back to Glasgow."

The islanders warn that it is not just their vulnerable, community which is in danger. Once the government redefines what it considers a public service obligation, other parts of the country could be affected. "PSOs have been in place for many years but this is the first time there has ever been an attempt to remove one," Mr Manford said. "It has implications for many other communities. We hope that people will come to our aid and prevail on the Executive to see the folly of their actions."

Golden sand, sea and a unique island airport

By Simon Calder

For aviation in the Western Isles, these are strange days. This winter, the first Sunday flights took off from Stornoway airport in the Isle of Lewis.

There are also rumours that Ryanair is to start no-frills flights from Prestwick, near Glasgow, to Stornoway.

Yet these developments are dwarfed by the prospect that Barra could lose its unique airport.

Several times each day, depending on tides, a beach in the north of Barra becomes subject to the 1990 Aviation Security Act. Cockle Strand is a perfect semicircle of sand. There are three runways marked by posts, which means that pilots can land and take off in six different directions, a blessing in a part of Scotland that is more prone than most to high winds.

Barra is a beautiful island, but not over-endowed with recognisable tourist attractions. Each sunny day in summer, the car park fills with visitors keen to see a spectacle that has no equal in the world. The Twin Otter – the only passenger aircraft that regularly uses the airport – touches down with a splash, and skims across the sand towards the terminal.

The ground-handling operation mimics that of larger airports, but is on a modest scale, with usually only 12 passengers and their bags to unload.

The terminal building itself is about the size of the church hall in Castlebay, the island's capital. Its cafe does excellent business from sightseers as well as passengers.

The take-off is even more impressive. The aircraft taxis from the "stand"; the engines roar, scattering seabirds, and it quickly gains first speed and height.

The island's tourism industry regards it as unthinkable that the airport could close. Besides bringing in visitors it provides a unique selling proposition for Barra.

In these marketing-led days, being "the only beach airport in the world to handle scheduled airline services" is a priceless asset.