Snowflake melts at Inverness
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Snowflake melts at Inverness
Air passenger service grounded ten weeks after taking off
JOHN ROSS
A NEW air service connecting Inverness and Stockholm, which took off just ten weeks ago, is to be grounded next month because not enough passengers are using it.
The service, launched on 29 March, was the first to the UK by Snowflake, the SAS Scandinavian Airlines’ low-cost carrier. It has been operating flights on Mondays and Fridays with return fares ranging from £92-£200.
It has been decided that the service will be cancelled from 23 July, although a new attempt may be made to revive the route next year with a smaller plane.
About 1,700 passengers have used the service since it started - about 45 per flight - but it was not cost-effective for the 146-seat planes used on the route.
The inaugural flight saw 23 passengers arrive from Sweden and the first outgoing flight from Inverness carried 25 people. SAS said it was happy with early bookings and expected the route to be popular with golf, hillwalking, fishing and horse-riding groups in Sweden.
However, Alex Johnson, the commercial and marketing manager at Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), which owns Inverness Airport, said: "Unfortunately, passenger numbers on Snowflake’s Inverness-Stockholm service are not sufficient, and it will stop on 23 July, 2004.
"We are hopeful Snowflake will look at the route again, because with a smaller aircraft it could be a viable operation."
Martin Tiveus, Snowflake’s head of marketing, said: "We would like to thank the people and organisations in the Highlands who have supported this service."
David Stewart, MP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, said: "In the long term, a direct link with Scandinavia would have been good for local businesses and tourism. However, I am hopeful there may be a rethink, and the service can be re-introduced next year."
Could you please state your argument when starting a thread and use media articles to back up or dispute an issue. Many thanks H.
Your sticky is noted and understood. Buster. Reason is simple a route to be terminated
JOHN ROSS
A NEW air service connecting Inverness and Stockholm, which took off just ten weeks ago, is to be grounded next month because not enough passengers are using it.
The service, launched on 29 March, was the first to the UK by Snowflake, the SAS Scandinavian Airlines’ low-cost carrier. It has been operating flights on Mondays and Fridays with return fares ranging from £92-£200.
It has been decided that the service will be cancelled from 23 July, although a new attempt may be made to revive the route next year with a smaller plane.
About 1,700 passengers have used the service since it started - about 45 per flight - but it was not cost-effective for the 146-seat planes used on the route.
The inaugural flight saw 23 passengers arrive from Sweden and the first outgoing flight from Inverness carried 25 people. SAS said it was happy with early bookings and expected the route to be popular with golf, hillwalking, fishing and horse-riding groups in Sweden.
However, Alex Johnson, the commercial and marketing manager at Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), which owns Inverness Airport, said: "Unfortunately, passenger numbers on Snowflake’s Inverness-Stockholm service are not sufficient, and it will stop on 23 July, 2004.
"We are hopeful Snowflake will look at the route again, because with a smaller aircraft it could be a viable operation."
Martin Tiveus, Snowflake’s head of marketing, said: "We would like to thank the people and organisations in the Highlands who have supported this service."
David Stewart, MP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, said: "In the long term, a direct link with Scandinavia would have been good for local businesses and tourism. However, I am hopeful there may be a rethink, and the service can be re-introduced next year."
Could you please state your argument when starting a thread and use media articles to back up or dispute an issue. Many thanks H.
Your sticky is noted and understood. Buster. Reason is simple a route to be terminated
Last edited by Buster the Bear; 10th Jun 2004 at 20:41.
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Is there any more news on potential European routes from Inverness? It must be one of the larger UK airports not to have a regular scheduled route to the continent, with only limited connections at LHR with a daily BD flight.
I know Inverness is not the largest city in the country, but isn't it one of the fastest growing & backed by the route development fund?
Surely, if KLM can offer hops to AMS from places like Humberside & Norwich, would INV not be viable?
I know Inverness is not the largest city in the country, but isn't it one of the fastest growing & backed by the route development fund?
Surely, if KLM can offer hops to AMS from places like Humberside & Norwich, would INV not be viable?
KLM offer flights to AMS from a large number of UK airports to feed into their long haul services to the rest of the world. INV has flights to both LHR and LGW for onward travel, I know a lot of other places as well, but I don't think MAN is amongst them.
Flights really need a good percentage of people travelling on business, leisure the other way round in Inverness' case or inter-lining.
I don't think there would be a lot of other UK airfields that could support a 737, or 'bus sized aircraft on a regular schedule. A 'barbie jet' may be a different matter, or a turbo.
Flights really need a good percentage of people travelling on business, leisure the other way round in Inverness' case or inter-lining.
I don't think there would be a lot of other UK airfields that could support a 737, or 'bus sized aircraft on a regular schedule. A 'barbie jet' may be a different matter, or a turbo.
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Kriskross,
Yes, MAN and BHX are both served from INV by Eastern. I wasn't suggesting that KLM laid on a bus or a 737 - they use a Fokker 50 / 70 from NWI with four rotations per day.
Norwich may be a larger city, but it is still a fairly easy drive to London - at least STN, whereas INV has very few other alternatives, and a massive geographical catchment area. Could it support a daily F50 to AMS - would that be in range?
Yes, MAN and BHX are both served from INV by Eastern. I wasn't suggesting that KLM laid on a bus or a 737 - they use a Fokker 50 / 70 from NWI with four rotations per day.
Norwich may be a larger city, but it is still a fairly easy drive to London - at least STN, whereas INV has very few other alternatives, and a massive geographical catchment area. Could it support a daily F50 to AMS - would that be in range?
