It is a long way from Inverness to New York and even longer to Los Angeles. The repercussions of the forthcoming open skies agreement between the EU and the US have already been felt at Inverness Airport with bmi announcing yesterday it would pull out of the Inverness- London Heathrow route in March. The deal, which will liberalise transatlantic air travel with the advent of new and cheaper flights between Europe and America, has added to the pressure on transatlantic carriers to secure slots at the international European hubs. These have become as gold dust and bmi appears to have decided that the slot would be better used on the big fish of transatlantic routes than the small fry of Inverness-Heathrow.

It is a long way from Inverness to New York and even longer to Los Angeles. The repercussions of the forthcoming open skies agreement between the EU and the US have already been felt at Inverness Airport with bmi announcing yesterday it would pull out of the Inverness- London Heathrow route in March. The deal, which will liberalise transatlantic air travel with the advent of new and cheaper flights between Europe and America, has added to the pressure on transatlantic carriers to secure slots at the international European hubs. These have become as gold dust and bmi appears to have decided that the slot would be better used on the big fish of transatlantic routes than the small fry of Inverness-Heathrow.

Quite what will be the economic and social implications of this early 21st-century version of the US (and the EU) sneezing and the main airport of the Highlands and Island catching a cold are not clear. But it is depressing that a route reinstated only some four years ago should once again disappear (British Airways had withdrawn its Inverness-Heathrow service in 1997). Much has changed in aviation in the past decade and it is disappointing (and curious, perhaps) that bmi should reach this decision when air travel is booming and the no-frills airlines and small, tidily-managed independent carriers who know their markets have led to the opening up and development of new routes at previously dormant outlying airports. Inverness does not fall into that latter category and, fortunately, there will still be flights to and from Gatwick and Luton, with the prospect of other services to follow. Such continued activity leaves bmi's justification for withdrawing - insufficient demand - ripe for scrutiny. Everyone else, including Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, appears to have concluded that it was a question of maximising the value of the slot.

Cheaper fares and access to international hubs are vital to the future prosperity of the Highlands and Islands. Reducing air passenger choice at the gateway to the Highlands and Islands by pulling out of routes serving the major European hub cannot be good for economic or social activity. It is a decision that seems to buck several trends, not the least of which is that Inverness is economically bouyant and one of the fastest growing parts of Britain. Also, government policy since devolution has recognised the critical role of providing decent, affordable transport links through initiatives such as the £95m-plus BAA route development fund to assist new and expanding airlines; a 40% cut in the price of tickets for islanders travelling to the main Scottish airports, including Inverness; and testing a Road Equivalent Tariff scheme to provide cheaper ferry tickets. All of this is the reality. The bmi decision flies in its face.