'Make it easy on us', Highland business urged to tell air operator
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NORTH businesses are being urged to participate in an online survey in a bid to help strengthen the case to keep crucial air links between the Highlands and London.
Feedback will be used to try and convince Easyjet to adopt early morning and evening flights between Inverness and Gatwick, which are particularly important to corporate travellers, when it takes over the London airport’s runway slots used for the services by rival airline Flybe in March next year.
The Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) is calling on businesses to provide details of how they use the flights to help develop a better understand of present and future demand.
“Air connectivity between Inverness and London is vital to the region’s economy and that is why business organisations have been working with our members and public sector partners to look at what we can do to safeguard our connections,” said Fraser Grieve, SCDI’s Highlands and Islands manager.
“Some 230,000 passengers travel between the Highland Capital and London each year and we must look at how we can deliver a service which meets their needs going forward.”
Although Easyjet has held positive talks with politicians concerned about the future of the services and stressed a commitment to providing a daily service between Inverness and Gatwick, which it currently operates, uncertainty remains over whether it will adopt Flybe’s routes. An announcement on its summer timetable is expected in October.
Last week efforts to protect the vital air links were stepped up with a direct appeal to UK transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin by the SCDI wanting Westminster to impose public service obligations (PSOs) on the key route, or between Inverness and Heathrow.
Used by many European Union countries, PSOs enable scheduled air services to be maintained on routes vital for the economic development of a region.
The group (SCDI) has worked with business leaders and influential organisations such as the chambers of commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, Highlands and Islands Airports, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council and Hitrans to look at how best to keep the area connected in the short and long term.
“The chamber has long understood the challenges that businesses based here face in reaching customers both around the UK and the world, and that is why it is so vital that we have air services that meet the needs of our members,” said Stewart Nicol, Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive.
“We have seen our connections to London erode over the years and we must now do all we can to prevent any further deterioration in service and secure a long term solution.”
David Richardson, the FSB’s development manager for the region, described small businesses as the lifeblood of the economy and insisted businesses of all sizes take part in the survey, which is expected to close at the start of July.
“Access to and through London by air is of the utmost importance to every sector of our economy — and to every part of this region,” he commented.
“It is not just about getting people to and from Inverness, for Inverness acts as a major hub for the whole region and many passengers from London will travel on to the north and west, and to the Northern and Western Isles. We want to hear from small businesses everywhere.”
Take part in the online survey here.
In a nutshell
Three daily pairs of departure and landing times are Gatwick are part of a £20 million for Easyjet deal for all Flybe’s runway slots at the hub airport. Subject to approval by Flybe’s shareholders, which is expected next month (July), it is included in cost-cutting measures, under which 600 workers have been made redundant and pilots have agreed a 5 per cent pay cut, and it said serving Gatwick was no longer economically viable.
