God-fearing islanders thwart budget airline

Ryanair has been forced to back off from a showdown with God-fearing islanders over plans to operate cheap flights on Sundays between Stornoway and Prestwick.

The budget airline is attempting to secure the right to offer flights from the island's capital to the mainland for £29 compared with the standard British Airways fare of £280.

But Michael Cawley, Ryanair's chief financial officer, sparked protests when he said the plan was partly dependent upon flying seven days a week from the Isle of Lewis airport in strictly Presbyterian Stornoway.

His comments caused alarm on an island where the sabbath is strictly observed. There are no public transport services on Sundays and shops and petrol stations are closed. Across the island there are signs prohibiting sport and even the use of children's playgrounds on a Sunday. The swings are chained up.

Mr Cawley believes discount fares could bring 200,000 passengers through Inverness and Stornoway each year. But he said: "If Sunday travel really is an issue, Ryanair will take that into account. We will respect local sensitivities but we will also have to consider local people who do want to travel on Sundays."

The Lewis and Harris branch of the Lord's Day Observance Society welcomed the airline's change of policy. But a local councillor, Donald John Macsween, said: "The Western Isles are going through a severe economic recession when much of the rest of the UK is enjoying a boom. I am sure that common sense and demand from the public will see seven-day services in the near future."