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Poland to Inverness Air Service Survey Results

4th October 2007

The conclusions of a survey on the potential demand for a new air service between Inverness and Poland were published on Thursday 4th October 2007. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) recently invited people to complete an online survey to find out how many people would be likely to use such a service.

Just over 2,000 people took part, of which 63 per cent were Polish nationals living in Scotland, 18 per cent were Polish nationals living in Poland and 10 per cent were UK nationals living in Scotland.

Based on the survey response, the total number of return journeys made between Poland and the Highlands is projected to be between 15,000 and 25,000 each year.

Respondents were asked to indicate the frequency of a new air service from Inverness to each of seven Polish airports over next 12 months, assuming that the type of service provided would be similar to other Poland-Scotland routes, with up to 2 return flights per week.

The strongest demand was demonstrated for routes from Inverness to Katowice, Krakow and Warsaw, and the survey concludes that there may be sufficient demand on these routes to make an air service viable.

Katowice was the strongest of the seven routes in terms of demand for travel to Inverness from Poland, whilst Krakow was the most popular in terms of potential UK tourist visits from Inverness to Poland. Warsaw was the most popular destination amongst Polish people living in the Highlands, although significant demand was also registered for the other routes, including Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw.

Over 600 written comments were recorded with many people choosing to make detailed points, almost all of which were supportive. Most noted the current difficulties experienced in travelling between Poland and the Scottish Highlands, or the desire to make more trips than current travel options permit. Others noted that their friends, family and colleagues would also use a new air service, but may have not been able to take part
in the survey. Strong support was also indicated from respondents in Moray and Aberdeenshire.

Anna Kociolek, HIE's Eastern European officer said "This is a fantastic response, and we wish to thank everyone who took part. The survey has given us a clear picture of the demand for travel between different parts of Poland and the Scottish Highlands. We hope this will encourage airlines to consider new routes from Poland into Inverness."

HIE is working with Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) to attract a range of direct international services to Inverness Airport, and the information gathered in the online survey has already been passed on to HIAL for discussion with possible operators.

Inglis Lyon, managing director of HIAL, said: "The survey data has been extremely useful in developing business case proposals for potential services between Inverness and Poland. The data gathered demonstrates a real demand for such links and is informing our ongoing discussions with operators."

The conclusions of the survey can be found at www.hie.co.uk/poland-flights