The Scottish Government is to seek European Commission approval to extend the Air Discount Scheme (ADS) beyond 2008, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said today.

The scheme, established in May 2006, gives residents of Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Islay, Jura, Caithness and North West Sutherland a 40 per cent discount on the price of core air fares. If approved by the Commission, the discount would be secured until March 2011.

Stevenson said: “The Air Discount Scheme is less than two years old, but it has had a very encouraging start, bringing cheaper air travel, reduced journey times and more accessibility to communities across the Highlands and Islands.

“For Scotland's most remote communities, air travel can at times be the only practical way of travelling. The ADS allows them to do that more easily and cheaply and we want to ensure families and individuals can continue to benefit in the years to come. Discussions with the European Commission will be based around a three year approval, and we are confident that this will present no difficulties for the Commission.”

Membership rates of the scheme across Scotland is already at 87 per cent and Stevenson added that, if approved, the Scottish Government will continue to look at ways of improving the scheme and further increasing the take-up.

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