Caithness Map :: Links to Site Map Great value Unlimited Broadband from an award winning provider  

 

Scheduled Flights Are To Restart Between Wick John O' Groats Airport And Aberdeen

26th February 2022

Photograph of Scheduled Flights Are To Restart Between Wick John O' Groats Airport And Aberdeen

The Highland Council and Transport Scotland, who have been working with local stakeholders to reinstate flights from Wick John O'Groats Airport, are delighted to announce that Eastern Airways have been awarded a contract to provide a year-round service to Aberdeen.

The service, which will operate under a Public Service Obligation (PSO), will provide a direct connection to the airport hub at Aberdeen for 3 years. It will be funded by £1M from Transport Scotland and £300K per year from The Highland Council.

Eastern Airways will have a phased introduction of flights starting on April the 11th. Full service will start on the 25th April. Full service includes operating 24 flights a week Sunday to Friday, including 3 Sunday flights, 2 leaving Aberdeen and one leaving Wick. The aircraft will be stationed overnight at Wick from Sunday to Tuesday to provide the community with early morning flights to Aberdeen leaving at 7.20am.

The flight schedule has been designed to provide maximum opportunity for onward / incoming connections through Aberdeen Airport both nationally and internationally including London Heathrow, Birmingham, Belfast City, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, Southampton, Schiphol, Dublin, and Stavanger. Also, seasonal direct flights to sunnier destinations including, Turkey, Spain, Greece and the Canaries.

Fares will start from £39.99, which will include 10kg Carry-on luggage and 15Kg in the hold. Bookings can be made at www.easternairways.com (external link)

The Leader of the Highland Council, Cllr Margaret Davidson is delighted that tickets for the new service are now available and businesses, residents and the many visitors to the area are all set to benefit from enhanced connectivity. She said: "This is terrific news not just for Caithness but for the whole Highlands. Caithness is very much at the fore of expanding the development of future opportunities in sectors such as renewable energy and space. With these new opportunities comes not only supply chain benefits to the local economy but also inward migration and the creation of high value jobs.

She added: “I had a tour of the airport recently and was very impressed with what I saw. It is all about delivering best value. As a council we could not have afforded to cover the costs of the service ourselves, so we are very grateful and thank the Scottish Government for their help."

Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth said: “I welcome the announcement of the award of this contract which will see the restoration of important connectivity for Caithness.

“This service will benefit business travellers and provide visitors with a direct route to experience all that Caithness can offer.

“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the service both through our direct contribution to the cost of the flights and our ongoing subsidy of Wick John O’Groats Airport.”

Key to the success of the PSO and the successful award of the contract has been close collaboration from a wide number of organisations including the Caithness Chamber of Commerce, HIAL, HIE, Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA) and other local stakeholders.

Chair of the Caithness Committee and Chair of the Wick John O’Groats Airport Consultative Committee, Councillor Raymond Bremner paid credit to all the input from the stakeholders and local community to help secure the new service Eastern Airways will be delivering.

He said: “Since the announcement of the cessation of scheduled flights to and from Wick Airport at the start of COVID, many have been working really hard to secure funding for a PSO to support their restart. COVID really didn’t help but the new schedule from Wick to Aberdeen is a welcome start and a great reward for the efforts of everyone who worked to get the PSO in place. The new flight schedule between Wick and Aberdeen reflects improvements on a number of issues that were seen to impact on the pre-COVID schedule, and I really hope that the route will now be supported by businesses and locals to ensure its continued future success. I am certain that having an aircraft based in Wick during part of the week will be a big benefit. On behalf of the Wick John O’Groat Airport Consultative Committee I would like to thank everyone for all their efforts, particularly Malcolm MacLeod and the Highland Council team, in getting this project over the line.”

As well as an economic boom and enhanced connectivity, linked to the route, the reintroduction of flights will boost local employment. The Highland Council will be recruiting a Contract Manager with support from key partners. HIAL and Eastern Airways are currently recruiting local airport staff.

Adam Wheatley, Eastern Airways Managing Director added; “Helping solve vital regional connectivity is what Eastern Airways have done for twenty five years. Working in partnership with The Highland Council, Transport Scotland and key regional stakeholders connecting again one of the most distant surface transport journeys in Scotland to the hub airport of Aberdeen, in a low emission aircraft fits our belief in how sustainable aviation can meet the need of the UK economy and extensive connectivity into the future.

“We welcome the approach taken by all stakeholders and partners to bring this Wick John O’Groats to Aberdeen air service back and at Eastern Airways we will support the Caithness region in wider accessibility, also adding around 20 new direct & indirect jobs in supporting the service.”

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

27/3/2024
Wick Public Service Obligation Celebrates Successful Second Year Subsidising Wick Aberdeen FlightsThumbnail for article : Wick Public Service Obligation Celebrates Successful Second Year Subsidising Wick Aberdeen Flights
The Highland Council is delighted to confirm a highly successful second year for Public Service Obligation (PSO) flights between Wick and Aberdeen.   The period from April 2023 to March 2024 has seen a substantial increase in passenger numbers, with several months seeing over 1,000 passengers using the service, and overall the service has seen year on year growth of 25%.  
18/3/2024
Members Agree Digital Ambition For Highland Council - Or How To Make Cuts Without Saying SoThumbnail for article : Members Agree Digital Ambition For Highland Council - Or How To Make Cuts Without Saying So
Members of Highland Council, who met on Thursday 14 March 2024, approved a corporate Digital Ambition, which has been designed to deliver significant organisational change across Council services, recognising the current priorities within the organisation.   The Strategy, which is embedded within the wider Council Delivery Plan, has been developed to focus attention and resources on areas of change which will deliver the greatest benefit to the Council.  
14/3/2024
Clarification On The Role Of MCR Pathways' Coordinators And Mentors In Highland Schools
The Council remains committed to supporting mentoring in our schools, including the support that is currently delivered through the MCR Pathways programme.   Highland Council is currently undertaking a review of Employability Support provided by a number of different council services and how these relate to the work carried out by external partners and in our schools.  
15/3/2024
Council Agrees A New Draft Highland Outcome Improvement Plan
Highland Council members have considered and agreed a revised draft Highland Outcome Improvement Plan.   The partnership plan has been reviewed and updated by the Community Planning Partnership.  
15/3/2024
Members agree Highland Council's new Community Wealth Building Strategy
Members at today's (14 March 2024) meeting of The Highland Council agreed the local authority's new draft Community Wealth Building Strategy.   They were also asked to note that a period of public engagement on the draft will now begin, with a final strategy returning to full Council for consideration in September.  
15/3/2024
£60m Capital Investment Approved For Roads And Infrastructure In Highland
Plans to invest up to £60m new Capital in Highland roads and infrastructure have been approved by Members at the Council meeting on 14 March 2024.   The decision will see an additional £40m Capital investment in roads and transport infrastructure.  
10/3/2024
Highland Council Budget - Delivery Plan Sets Out Roadmap To Deliver Savings And Investment
A draft Delivery Plan sets out a roadmap which will ensure the delivery of £54.6m savings and over £100m investment agreed by Council over the next 3 years.   The report is a difficult to follow series looing at areas but does not specify where the cuts to jobs will come over the next three years.  
Cuts And More Cuts But Still Cash For Arts In Highland - £30,000 For TapestriesThumbnail for article : Cuts And More Cuts But Still Cash For Arts In Highland - £30,000 For Tapestries
The Co-Chairs of the Inverness Castle Delivery Group, Fergus Ewing MSP and Cllr Ian Brown, are delighted to announce the award of £30,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in support of framing the 57 panels that will form the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands.   This financial commitment from HIE has contributed significantly to the preservation of the 57 panels created by communities across the Highlands and Islands, of which 32 will be included in the first exhibition as part of the Inverness Castle Experience.  
6/3/2024
Council Employee Receives Special Recognition At The Scottish Empty Homes AwardsThumbnail for article : Council Employee Receives Special Recognition At The Scottish Empty Homes Awards
Dawn Meston from The Highland Council's Housing team won a prestigious award at the Scottish Empty Homes Awards held at The Studio, Glasgow on Thursday 29 February 2024 in recognition of her contribution to bringing empty homes back into use across Highland.   Between 1 April and 31 December 2023, a total of 25 empty properties were brought back into use following Dawn's intervention as Highland's Empty Homes Officer.  
5/3/2024
Highland Council Confirms Dates For Thermal Trial To Start In ThursoThumbnail for article : Highland Council Confirms Dates For Thermal Trial To Start In Thurso
The Chair of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee has confirmed details of a trial, to start next week, of a thermal process for carrying out pothole repairs.   An external contractor, Thermal Road Repairs, has been appointed to undertake the work using a thermal repair process.