The Government has responded to the GSD statement on the airport.

A statement follows: “The GSD is wrong to say the Government was not aware that the reason for NATS inability to keep the airport open was illness. The Government described the incident as a labour relations issue as IT IS an issue of relations between the MOD and NATS on the management of labour.

“The Government has further clarified that the labour relations issue arose from illness at the specific request of NATS personnel who did not wish the public to think that the issue was one of industrial unrest. The GSD has therefore once again jumped the gun to attack the government based on a mistaken assumption.”