Findo
9th Aug 2003, 22:54
Shame to see it go but there will always be marginal profit in some of the low fares operations. .:{ :{
It will be interesting to see how Ryanair and DUO compare on services from Scotland to Oslo and possibly Milan and the success of the forthcoming Germania service PIK to Berlin.
Scotsman link (http://www.business.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=865652003)
Source: Scotsman
JAMES DOW
A FLAGSHIP airline route between Edinburgh and Germany, cited by the Scottish Executive as evidence of its commitment to the
business community through the use of public money, is to be suspended.
Germanwings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, is to cancel its daily service between Edinburgh and Cologne from late October. The
company has yet to confirm when the flights are likely to be resumed, although a date around Easter 2004 is expected to be
announced.
The route was unveiled by the Executive in March - alongside three other services - as the first to be attracted to Scotland
through its £6.8 million air link development fund. The fund pays subsidies out of the Executive's annual budget, as part of
efforts to lure airlines away from London.
At the time of the launch of the Germanwings route, the Executive said its fund, which was set up last November, demonstrated its
commitment to creating better global transport links for Scottish businesses. Announcing further new routes in July, enterprise
minister Jim Wallace said the Executive "is committed to doing all we can to help businesses in Scotland, and these new air routes
will do exactly that ... The more direct routes we can have from Scotland, the more opportunities there are for Scottish
companies."
But many businesses will now find themselves without a direct connection to Cologne, for up to six months. The German city is
close to Frankfurt, the financial centre of the largest economy in the eurozone and, therefore, a natural destination for
Edinburgh's financial community.
A spokeswoman for the Executive said yesterday that it was unable to ensure that the airlines offer their routes all- year round.
"We can't instruct the airlines what to do," she said. "We're purely providing funds to encourage them to set up in [Scotland]."
Germanwings did not return calls to comment on the reasons behind the withdrawal of the route.
The Executive has said it expects to announce further new routes subsidised by its funds within months. The scheme fits in with
its "Global Connections" strategy, to provide Scottish companies with improved access to new markets around the world.
It will be interesting to see how Ryanair and DUO compare on services from Scotland to Oslo and possibly Milan and the success of the forthcoming Germania service PIK to Berlin.
Scotsman link (http://www.business.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=865652003)
Source: Scotsman
JAMES DOW
A FLAGSHIP airline route between Edinburgh and Germany, cited by the Scottish Executive as evidence of its commitment to the
business community through the use of public money, is to be suspended.
Germanwings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, is to cancel its daily service between Edinburgh and Cologne from late October. The
company has yet to confirm when the flights are likely to be resumed, although a date around Easter 2004 is expected to be
announced.
The route was unveiled by the Executive in March - alongside three other services - as the first to be attracted to Scotland
through its £6.8 million air link development fund. The fund pays subsidies out of the Executive's annual budget, as part of
efforts to lure airlines away from London.
At the time of the launch of the Germanwings route, the Executive said its fund, which was set up last November, demonstrated its
commitment to creating better global transport links for Scottish businesses. Announcing further new routes in July, enterprise
minister Jim Wallace said the Executive "is committed to doing all we can to help businesses in Scotland, and these new air routes
will do exactly that ... The more direct routes we can have from Scotland, the more opportunities there are for Scottish
companies."
But many businesses will now find themselves without a direct connection to Cologne, for up to six months. The German city is
close to Frankfurt, the financial centre of the largest economy in the eurozone and, therefore, a natural destination for
Edinburgh's financial community.
A spokeswoman for the Executive said yesterday that it was unable to ensure that the airlines offer their routes all- year round.
"We can't instruct the airlines what to do," she said. "We're purely providing funds to encourage them to set up in [Scotland]."
Germanwings did not return calls to comment on the reasons behind the withdrawal of the route.
The Executive has said it expects to announce further new routes subsidised by its funds within months. The scheme fits in with
its "Global Connections" strategy, to provide Scottish companies with improved access to new markets around the world.