This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New air routes to Germany and Italy
02/09/2004
Two new air routes between Scotland and Germany and
another between Scotland and Italy were launched
today..
Transport minister Nicol Stephen welcomed the launch of
Ryanair's three new services:
- Glasgow Prestwick International
to Dusseldorf (Neiderrhein). The service is expected to
begin on 8th November 2004 and will use a Boeing
737-800 series aircraft with a maximum of 189
seats.
- Glasgow Prestwick International
to Hamburg (Lubeck). The service is expected to begin
on 1st March 2005 and will use a Boeing 737-800 series
aircraft with a maximum of 189 seats.
- Glasgow Prestwick International
to Pisa. The service is expected to begin on 1st March
2005 and will use a Boeing 737-800 series aircraft with
a maximum of 189 seats.
These routes have been offered support from the
Executive's £6.8 million Route Development Fund, set up in
November 2002 to help secure new direct air services to
Scotland, to encourage business links and investment and
inbound tourism.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said:
"This is very good news for Scotland. Direct links
between Glasgow Prestwick International and Germany will
encourage economic links in the north of one of the largest
members of the EU. The new direct service to Pisa will
provide better business opportunities between Scotland and
this prosperous region of Italy.
"Excellent direct connections to a wide range of
European destinations are good for the economy, speed up
travel times to key destinations and also help to reduce
the environmental impact of air travel. These new routes
will also give Scotland's tourism industry a significant
boost.
"The success of Ryanair's new international routes from
Scotland has encouraged them to start these new services.
Support for these services from the Executive's Route
Development Fund proves that our strategy of expanding
direct air services from Scotland continues to be a
success."
Mary McLaughlin, Director of Transport at Scottish
Enterprise, which manages the Route Development Fund on
behalf of the Scottish Executive, said:
"These new routes are welcome additions to those already
secured with support from the fund. The two German routes
are of great importance given the very strong business
links between Scotland and Germany, and the creation of
another direct route to Italy is excellent, especially as
Scotland had no all-year round direct scheduled services to
Italy before the fund was set up and can now boast
three."
Philip Riddle, VisitScotland chief executive said:
"The proliferation of direct routes into Scotland is
extremely encouraging, as ease of access is hugely
important in attracting visitors from Europe and further
afield.
"These new services, alongside those already
established, represent a major boost for our country's
economy, and play a significant part in our ambition to
grow the value of Scottish tourism over the next
decade."
The Route Development Fund is provided through the 2002
Scottish Budget with £5.5 million from the Executive, £1
million from Scottish Enterprise and £300,000 from
Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The fund is operated in
partnership with Scottish Enterprise, who administers the
fund on the Executive's behalf.
The Route Development Fund supports new air links where
airlines can demonstrate the services will have a direct
economic benefit to Scotland. The flights must involve
regularly scheduled services and must not undermine
existing flights. The exact amount from the fund given to
the airline cannot be disclosed due to reasons of
commercial confidentiality.