NEW routes linking both the Highlands and Dundee to Manchester were unveiled yesterday in the latest expansion of the air transport market in Scotland.
Eastern Airways will operate three flights a day between Inverness and Manchester, Monday to Friday, from next month. A similar service will begin between Dundee and Manchester on November 4.
The announcement in Inverness yesterday continues a run of success for the much criticised Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd in attracting new business since its row in the spring with Ryanair over landing charges.
Eastern, which already flies between Aberdeen and Wick, follows bmi (British Midland), Loganair and the charter company Transun in announcing new services for Highlands and Islands airports.
With the cheapest ticket at (pounds) 94 single, it is the business market Eastern is pursuing. Flights will use 19-seater BAE Jetstream 32 aircraft. The services will be run in association with bmi, allowing Eastern's passengers single-ticket access to the bmi network of routes.
With aircraft staying overnight in Inverness and Dundee, early-morning departures offer travellers good onward connections from Manchester which, the company claims, are second only to those at Heathrow. The timings connect, for example, with departures to Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Gothenberg, as well as Chicago, New York and Washington DC.
Eastern, which operates from Manchester Airport's terminal three, also serves Manchester-Norwich, three times daily, Monday to Friday.
The new Inverness and Dundee services complement a growing Scottish network operated by the independently owned niche domestic airline.
In Scotland, Eastern Airways serves Edinburgh-Norwich and Humberside and from Aberdeen, to Humberside, Norwich, Tees-side and Wick. Richard Lake, Eastern's managing director, said yesterday: ''We like Scotland The market is essentially the business end. We believe there is demand for a link for onward travel from an airport within the UK.
''Manchester and Highlands and Islands Airports have been very helpful in constructing the best timings, the slots, to make it happen. Landing charges were an issue, but we had negotiations, discussions and came to an agreement.''
Bob Macleod, managing director of HIAL, which was earlier this year accused of intransigence by Ryanair over landing charges, was asked if Eastern had been offered a sliding scale of charges.
He replied: ''We have a deal. We been talking to Eastern for a long time with a view to expanding their service possibly across the border, so I am delighted to see the launch of this new service linking Inverness and Manchester.''
The Highlands and Islands Enterprise network is investing (pounds) 80,000 to help market the new route.
Tom Matthew, HIE's transport policy manager, said: ''We don't think this new service should impact greatly on Glasgow or Edinburgh. There may be a few who might want to go to Manchester for connections rather than Glasgow and Edinburgh but my understanding is that traffic on these routes is increasing anyway.''
Jim Wallace, deputy first minister, was also on hand to welcome the new services. He said: ''Strong air transport links are a key driver of economic growth and I'm confident that today's announcement of new routes will be hugely significant for both business and tourism in the Highlands.''
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