New air links from Inverness make world smaller
Highland travellers are discovering a new world of opportunities thanks to a new tie up between UK regional airline flybe and one of Europe’s biggest carriers KLM.
Earlier this year, the two airlines announced a codeshare agreement, allowing passengers flying from Inverness to Amsterdam to connect on to European and long haul flights via Amsterdam with KLM, and check their luggage through to their final destination.
Latest figures suggest that 13% of passengers are using flybe’s Inverness to Amsterdam service to connect to KLM’s worldwide network of more than 150 destinations.
Munich, Zurich, Hamburg and Nice are the top European destinations, with New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo the most popular long haul routes.
To promote the Amsterdam hub connection, Inverness Airport has commissioned a New York City style yellow taxi, which will operate throughout the Highland capital over the next year.
Inverness Airport Manager Graeme Bell said: "The Inverness to Amsterdam route has been a huge success in its own right and has proved hugely popular with passengers looking for a European city break.
"But the new codeshare agreement between flybe and KLM has really seen the route take off, with an increasing number of passengers now using the route to connect seamlessly to a range of European and long haul destinations, including the ever popular New York.
"We hope our own ‘big yellow taxi’ will act as a reminder that it is possible to reach destinations across the world from Inverness with just one stop in Amsterdam, one of Europe’s most passenger friendly airports."
Amsterdam Schiphol was last month named International Airport of the Year 2012
From 14 January 2013, the Inverness – Amsterdam schedule will be revised to reflect the better performance of the larger Embraer 175 jet now operating the route.
The 88 seat aircraft offers more comfort and greater speed. The improved performance has resulted in flights being 10 minutes faster than originally scheduled.
New flight schedule (from January 14, 2013)
Dep Inverness 12.10pm . . . arrive Amsterdam 15.00
Dep Amsterdam 15.35 . . . arrive Inverness 16.25
Flights operate six days a week (Mon-Fri, Sun).
