This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Aberdeen-Netherlands direct flight
30/03/2004
A new air service between Aberdeen and Groningen in the
Netherlands will begin on April 26.
The new route, operated by Eastern Airways, is the 19th
to be supported by the Executive's £6.8 million Route
Development Fund and the first to use Aberdeen.
The RDF was set up in November 2002 to help secure new
direct air services and encourage business links and
investment and inbound tourism.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"This is very good news for Scotland and for our
economy. Groningen is the main hub of trade and industry in
the Northern Nertherlands and is proving to be an
increasingly attractive location for businesses. This new
service will provide an important boost to business and
tourism links with the Netherlands.
"The fund was set up as a direct response to requests
from businesses, local authorities and the aviation
industry. Today's announcement of the first Aberdeen route
to be offered support from the Executive demonstrates the
big part the Fund is playing in giving Scotland an edge in
attracting new direct air services.
"Scotland needs excellent connections to a wide range of
European destinations which will improve our business
opportunities and also help reduce the environmental impact
of air travel. Direct flights from Scotland mean we can
seize on new opportunities and speed up travel times to key
destinations."
Mary McLaughlin, Director of Transport at Scottish
Enterprise which administers the RDF on behalf of the
Executive, said:
"Creating new international air links to help business
competitiveness is the primary aim of the RDF and nowhere
is that more important than in the energy sector based
around Aberdeen which works in a truly global market. This
new route will allow better linkages with the energy
industry in northern Holland and should be a real boon to
business travellers."
The Eastern Airways service will operate Monday to
Friday (single rotation) with an Embraer 145 jet with 48
seats.
The RDF is provided through the 2002 Scottish Budget
with £5.5 million from the Executive including £500,000
from the Integrated Transport Fund, £1 million from
Scottish Enterprise and £300,000 from Highlands and Islands
Enterprise.
The routes are:
Germanwings - Edinburgh to Cologne
bmi - Edinburgh to Jersey
Ryanair - Glasgow Prestwick to Skavsta (Stockholm)
Ryanair - Glasgow Prestwick to Girona (Barcelona)
duo - Edinburgh to Oslo
duo - Edinburgh to Milan
duo - Edinburgh to Geneva
duo - Edinburgh to Zurich
Germania - Glasgow Prestwick to Berlin
Ryanair - Glasgow Prestwick to Gothenburg
Eastern - Inverness to Birmingham
Continental - Edinburgh to New York (Newark)
Loganair - Kirkwall to Bergen (summer only)
Snowflake - Inverness to Stockholm
Ryanair - Glasgow Prestwick to Bergamo (Milan)
Emirates - Glasgow to Dubai
Duo - Edinburgh to Munich
Ryanair - Glasgow Prestwick to Ciampino (Rome)
Eastern - Aberdeen to Groningen