Flybe unveils 40 flights between north and Gatwick each week

Oct 10, 2008

HIGHLAND airport chiefs yesterday welcomed confirmation that Loganair is introducing new scheduled flights from Kirkwall and Sumburgh to Bergen in Norway next summer.

They will operate under the airline’s Flybe franchise which comes into effect at the end of this month.

Flybe yesterday unveiled its 2009 summer schedule, offering 40 flights a week to and from Inverness and Gatwick.

The March to September programme features one-way flights from £31.99 – including taxes and airport charges – between the Highland capital and Gatwick.

They will operate three times daily on weekdays, twice on Saturdays and three times a day on Sunday.

Flybe’s chief commercial officer Mike Rutter said: “We are fully committed to Inverness and are always looking at ways to develop our route offering out of the base.

“Over the past 12 months we have continued to grow and develop the airline to provide the most cost-effective, efficient and flexible service for passengers.”

Inglis Lyon, managing director of Highlands and Islands Airport Ltd, said: “Both the extension of this year’s successful Sumburgh to Bergen programme and the new Kirkwall service for 2009 are excellent news for the islands.

“These links to Norway will provide opportunities for business and tourism connections to be strengthened under Loganair’s Flybe franchise, which takes effect at the end of this month, and help to maintain the positive growth trends we have achieved at the airports in recent years.”

Inverness Airport has just advertised for a new manager to succeed James Walton who is soon due to retire.

Source: Aberdeen Press and Journal.