1 Assistance to persons providing air services serving the Highlands and Islands.
(1) For the purposes of establishing, maintaining and improving air services serving the Highlands and Islands, the Secretary of State may assist, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, persons who provide or propose to provide such services.
(2) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, make advances, out of moneys provided by Parliament, either by way of grant or loan, or partly in one of those ways and partly in the other, on such terms and conditions as he considers expedient, to any such person as aforesaid; and in the case of a grant, the terms and conditions may include provisions for repayment in whole or in part in specified circumstances.
(3) Any moneys received by the Secretary of State by virtue of this section shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund.