Cheap flights to up to 14 holiday hotspots will take off from Aberdeen next summer, the boss of a leading budget airline revealed yesterday.
by Keith Findlay
Tom Dalrymple, chairman of Edinburgh-based Flyglobespan, expects to announce destinations within a few weeks.
The company has bought two new planes and one is to be deployed in Aberdeen where the current size of runway has been a stumbling block to Flyglobespan's plans until now.
A host of popular holiday destinations can be reached with the new Boeing 737 700 aircraft, which are more fuel efficient than other planes in the airline's fast-growing fleet.
Flyglobespan's summer 2007 programme for Aberdeen is still being finalised, but all of the Mediterranean resorts ? as far as Cyprus ? are being looked at.
The news was welcomed by city leaders last night.
Aberdeen Lord Provost John Reynolds said: "Flyglobespan are a Scottish airline and it is wonderful news from Aberdeen's point of view that these new routes will be taking off.
"There is certainly the business up here. Most people have to travel to the central belt to get their connection."
He added: "The sooner the better ? if it could be tomorrow, that would be great."
Mr Dalrymple said 90% of the work involved in getting the new flights up and running was done, but the airline was still negotiating with airport bosses over take-off and landing slots.
He said the destinations will be dictated by demand and would not necessarily be places already served by Flyglobespan.
The carrier currently operates from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Stansted and flies to European hotspots including Tenerife, Lanzarote, Faro, Majorca, Ibiza, Alicante, Malaga and Nice.
Mr Dalrymple said there would be at least seven new routes from the Granite City and possibly as many as 14.
Flyglobespan first pledged to launch flights from Aberdeen in March last year, but only if a ban on landing at the airport after 11.30pm was lifted.
Councillors subsequently gave the go-ahead for round the clock opening.
That led to Flyglobespan quickly unveiling plans to start new flights from Aberdeen this summer.
But the airport's relatively short runway proved too much of a hurdle and forced the airline into a rethink.
With a little modification, the new aircraft will be able to takeoff and land at Aberdeen and complete its journey without having to stop for refuelling.
Boeing's latest 737 700 model costs around £25.5million and carries 148 passengers.
Mr Dalrymple would not reveal where the second plane will be deployed, but said the airline's two new aircraft were due to be delivered next spring.
Flyglobespan's first flight took off in April 2002, and it now operates 11 aircraft to destinations around Europe, as well as the US and Canada.
Flights start at just under £30, including taxes, but climb in price for more popular travel days and times.
The airline expects to carry almost 2million passengers to over 20 destinations this year.
Next month it starts a daily service from Glasgow to Florida and more long-haul expansion is planned, possibly from Aberdeen if the runway is extended.
A spokesman for the airline said: "The Aberdeen expansion is great news for local holidaymakers. As with all Flyglobespan flights, people taking the Aberdeen routes will have the option of taking flight-only and adding transfers or accommodation."
Mr Dalrymple added: "We promised that if Aberdeen Airport extended its opening hours, we would fly from there. We then had to find the right aircraft that could handle the runway and also give us the range to get to some attractive resorts.
"This new 700 is the perfect plane and we look forward to organising some exciting destinations for next summer."
He said many people from the north-east were using Flyglobespan from Edinburgh and Glasgow. "That won't be necessary next year," he added.
Source: Press & Journal