ScotAirways to close Dundee base?

[MOR]

Strong rumours today that Scotairways are to close their Dundee base.

Not sure why, as that is where their engineering base is, and, more importantly, where Mr Souter lives.

If true, it must be the last gasp for ScotAirways... I hope not for the sake of the staff there.

Anybody know more?

[Buster the Bear]

The engineering base is rather busy here at Luton, D328's coming and going far more regularly now, than any time since Suckling...Whoops...Scot Airways pulled off the Paris.

[Spoonbill]

I know that the airport management have been trying persuade Eastern Airways to take up an Amsterdam route out of Dundee, and when ScotAirways weren't paying the bills on time (allegedly <img src="eek.gif" border="0"> , last year, they also allegdly:eek <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> asked Eastern if they could step in at short notice to take on the LCY route.
I imagine that the only a/c Eastern could operate from Dundee would be the JS32, or would the JS41 be able to operate off such a short runway? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

[ 18 January 2002: Message edited by: Spoonbill ]

[ 18 January 2002: Message edited by: Spoonbill ]</p>

[Mister Geezer]

A local Scottish newspaper from a few weeks ago claimed that the DND-LCY route was safe according to a company spokesman. If Dundee goes then I presume Scot Airways will become a one route airline!!!!!

Can't be good news.

Cheers

MG

[dundoniandean]

******! That's a real shame if it is true. Flown on the route a couple of times and loads were excellent. Full aircraft LCY/DND on a Saturday morning - not a typically busy time of day for travel from LCY or to DND and the return on a midweek mid-afternoon was also very busy. This may have changed though

Dundee needs a reliable service to LON and I thought that CB were doing just fine on the route (that's all I seem read in the local Dundee newspapers anyway!!) Scotairways seem to expect routes to be successful from day one though - routes need to mature and establish themselves through good marketing - especially from Dundee where the airport has been very underused even since the Business Air days to MAN. People are hadly aware that Dundee has an airport and even if they do know about it they don't know where they can fly to from there - take that from a Dundonian who has worked for a travel agent and an airline in Dundee.

Scotairways have operated a few routes on a very short term basis recently (INV/LCY, INV/AMS, ABZ/LCY) - that can't be at all good for the bank account. Mr Souter needs to get his investment working harder and stop them from 'dabbling' in silly routes. Keep LCY/DND and make it work if it isn't already I say. It's an hour's drive to EDI and ABZ from DND and 1.5 hours to GLA. There is no reason why a city with 150,000 population (plus the catchment area of Fife and Tayside) can't sustain a route to the nation's capital with a 29 seater four times a day - surely? 20 minute check in too!! The likes of AMS and PAR would prove popular too with Dundonians.

So come on Scotairways - stick with the route unless times are really very hard.