Following the matter being raised by a constituent we have been making enquiries into additional (i.e. not the usual weather related) delays to the mail service reaching the island over the last months.
We made enquiries with Loganair, who confirmed the issue to be due to the increase in volume of postal deliveries to the island since the start of COVID-19 restrictions. The increase was such that the maximum carrying capacity allowed for on the regular plane service was being reached quite frequently, and this caused delays to post that then couldn’t be loaded until a following flight. They referred us to the appropriate contact at Royal Mail who determine the service provided.
We have since been in dialogue over the past month or two with Distribution Manager for the area, Paul, who went away and looked into the options possible to address this for Tiree.
We are delighted to have just heard that additional capacity on the flights has now been agreed and put in place which should resolve the capacity issue. Welcome news indeed ahead of the Xmas period!
We are grateful to Royal Mail for their response and commitment to serving all customers in the UK regardless of where we live – and of course to the staff locally and further afield whose efforts all mean that Tiree residents (many of us not making trips to the mainland to shop for less common items because of COVID-19) have access to much of the things we all rely on and/or which provide welcome comfort during trying times.