Return of flights at Inverness Airport in Highlands welcomed as English lockdown restrictions eased
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Travellers in the Highlands are looking forward to the return of suspended flights to and from Inverness Airport this month.
A number of airlines stopped operating routes due to the month-long lockdown in England which switched to a different system of restrictions earlier this week.
Flights between Inverness and Heathrow restarted on Wednesday.
A BA spokesman said: “Like other airlines, due to the current coronavirus pandemic and global travel restrictions we are operating a reduced and dynamic schedule.”
Loganair is planning to restart services from Inverness to Belfast City, Birmingham and Manchester on Monday.
A spokesman said: “We have reviewed the forward booking situations for all routes and can confirm that this is our intention.”
EasyJet, which operates flights to Gatwick, is keeping its schedule under review.
Stewart Nicol, the chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, welcomed any return of suspended flights, adding: “These flights, despite the challenges of Covid, are important for the Highlands and the local economy.”
However, with the ongoing Covid-19 regulations, he said every journey had to be considered carefully.
A spokesman for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), which operates Inverness Airport, said: “The global pandemic has had a huge impact on the aviation industry around the world.
“HIAL is committed to providing sustainable air routes for the communities we serve and these allow our regions to connect more easily and enhance economic opportunities.
“We look forward to working with our customers and colleagues over the coming months and we hope we can begin to move back towards the levels of activity we experienced pre-pandemic.”
