Papers to be delivered next day by boat until deal is reached with airline

Daily newspapers are to be delivered to the isles by ferry in the interim while distributors seek a more permanent solution following the news on Thursday that Highland Airways had gone into administration.

The airline previously delivered national papers to Shetland every day, but Menzies Distribution spokesman Dave Sheddon said the company’s regional manager was “still in discussions aimed at securing an alternative route”. “In the interim, we’ve arranged for them to be delivered by ferry,” he said.

A shipment of Friday’s newspapers should arrive in the isles on Saturday morning, meaning that the Press and Journal, flown here by a different carrier, will remain the only up-to-date national daily newspaper on the newsstands in the coming days.

Highland Airways employed 100 people and boasted a fleet of nine aircraft, but since being placed in administration its flights have been grounded and are not expected to resume in the near future.