Council concerns over Flybe's decision to suspend Inverness to London flights
CONCERNS have been raised by Highland Councillors following Flybe’s announcement to suspend its service between Inverness and the City of London.
Council Leader Drew Hendry said: “I am concerned to hear this announcement, just weeks after being asked to launch the new connection. It seems premature to come to such a conclusion after just two months, when it must still be very early days for the new service. It is also disappointing that Highland Council has not been consulted in the decision.
“Inverness remains well connected to the rest of the UK with flights to Gatwick, Belfast, Bristol and Manchester, as well as our international service to Amsterdam. However, it is vital for the continued economic development of the Highlands that our connectivity is sustainable and continues to grow. People need to have confidence in our airline services in order to make long term business decisions.”
He added: “I will be seeking a meeting with Flybe at the earliest opportunity to discuss this announcement.”
The managing director of Highlands and Islands Airport (HIA) had hoped the air links connecting Inverness and London City airports would have been given more time to develop.
But Inglis Lyon acknowledged economics may have been a factor in airline Flybe’s decision to announce it would be suspending the service on the route from 22nd February – just a few months after the link was launched in October last year.
Lower than expected passenger numbers were the reason for Flybe’s decision.
It is understood on average the daily services on the 78-seat plane used on the route attracted just under half the capacity of passengers that could be carried.
Mr Lyon said: “We are disappointed that Flybe has taken the decision to withdraw the service at such an early stage.
“It is always more challenging to launch a new route during the quieter winter months when passenger demand is traditionally at its lowest.
“We had hoped the route might be given more time to develop but Flybe have been very clear over the past year of the need to improve their profitability. Ultimately, there was simply insufficient demand to make the route commercially viable. Sadly, routes that cannot pay their way are dropped.”
It came after Flybe increased its presence at Inverness with the launch of new Dublin flights, a third daily flight link with Manchester and new winter flights to Geneva.
Mr Lyon added: “We will continue to work with Flybe to increase their presence at Inverness Airport. They have made a huge contribution to improving connectivity from the Highlands through their network of direct routes, hub connections and code shares with international airlines such as KLM, Etihad, Cathay Pacific and Aer Lingus.
“We will encourage the airline to keep an open mind about potentially resuming the London City service as we believe it has growth potential.”
A high-profile launch included expectations from Flybe that 64,000 passengers annually would fly on the new route.
But on Friday it announced the suspension of flights between the two airports, blaming low passenger numbers. The move comes as Flybe announced increased services linking London City and Edinburgh and Belfast City airports.
A Flybe spokeswoman said: “Flybe constantly reviews its schedule as part of its disciplined approach to growth.
“As a result, Flybe is regrettably suspending its Inverness to London City service with effect from Sunday 22nd February due to lower than anticipated passenger numbers.”
The airline has not said if the suspension of services will be permanent, or if it may try to reintroduce a seasonal service during the busier summer months when tourist numbers increase.
The announcement of the service’s suspension comes after Inverness Airport reported a fall in passenger numbers. In the three months to September the number of passengers fell by 5.7 per cent on the same period in 2013. The passenger figures for the three months to the end of 2014 have not yet been released.
At the time the last set of figures were released HIA, which operates Inverness Airport, blamed a lower number of charter holiday flights, but added that it expected the new service to London City – and increased flight numbers to Manchester – to reverse that trend going into 2015.
* A Flybe spokeswoman said anyone who had made forward bookings for the Inverness/London City services after 22nd February will be offered a full refund or, if possible, will be accommodated on an alternative flight.
