from todays paper
DUTCH airline KLM confirmed yesterday it was in talks with Eastern Airways about setting up a new service from Inverness to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.
A new Eastern Airways service may also be allowed to operate effectively as a KLM subsidiary, meaning passengers would be able to book tickets direct from Inverness to any of the Dutch airline’s network of 124 worldwide destinations using a single KLM booking reference.
This “interlining” arrangement would allow passengers to check their luggage in at Inverness and not have to repeat the process until they reached their final destination.
News of the proposal to make Eastern the 73rd “interlining partner” with KLM around the world delighted the city’s business community and cheered the local tourism sector as it would also make reaching the Highlands from outside the UK far easier than current arrangements allow. At present passengers travelling from outside the UK have to book a flight to an airport such as London Heathrow and wait to collect their luggage before checking in again to catch a separate flight to Inverness.
The proposed Schiphol link would give Inverness Airport another international hub airport to rely on if the Heathrow service was terminated.
At present most international travel from Inverness must go via Heathrow, but last week bmi, which operates that service, said the link could be threatened due to the Competition Commission allowing the airport operators to charge increased landing fees which could mean bmi dropping regional services for more profitable transatlantic routes.
A spokesman for Highlands and Islands Airports (HIA) said it had been trying to restore Inverness Airport’s link with Schiphol after the end of a previous service on the route, operated by ScotAirways and launched in September 2001, was withdrawn a few months later during the downturn in the aviation industry which followed the Al Qaeda attack on New York’s twin towers.
Before this an Inverness/Schiphol service had been operated by KLM’s British subsidiary but was axed in 1998.
KLM and Eastern said despite talks no firm announcement would be made until any deal had been finalised.
Scott Armstrong, VisitScotland’s area director for the Highlands, confirmed his organisation had been consulted about promoting the new service internationally and welcomed its potential impact on the north of Scotland.
“VisitScotland welcomes any potential development at Inverness Airport which will provide a link between Inverness and Amsterdam, giving an increase in visitor traffic to the Highlands,” he said. “Dutch visitors are likely to tour the Highlands when they visit, research shows they are also highly likely to return and recommend Scotland as a holiday destination to their family and friends,” he added.
However there was a note of caution from Casia Zajac, director of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, who was keen steps were taken to minimise the risk of failure of another international service from Inverness following the end of the service to Stockholm just two months after its launch in 2004.
“Having international links is very important for business but we have to make sure there is a concerted effort from the public and private sectors to promote and support this service and that strong marketing and business links are in place to make sure it is sustainable,” she said.