Air travel 'a no-brainer' over road and rail as Wick/Aberdeen link is reinstated
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The rising costs of road and rail journeys mean that choosing the newly restored Wick/Aberdeen air link is "a no-brainer" for those travelling between Caithness and the Granite City, it has been claimed.
Trudy Morris, chief executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, emphasised that the subsidised service operated by Eastern Airways compares favourably with other forms of transport in terms of price as well as convenience.
A long campaign to bring back scheduled links to Wick John O'Groats Airport culminated on Monday with the first flight to Aberdeen since March 2020.
The service is operating under a public service obligation (PSO) with a guaranteed pricing structure and offering connections to domestic and international destinations.
The chamber was the initial driving force behind the business case for a PSO and worked with others in the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership to help secure funding for three years from the Scottish Government and Highland Council.
Ms Morris and other members of the chamber team were on the inaugural flight from Wick and took the opportunity to begin forging relations with key organisations in the Aberdeen area. Discussions were held with VisitAberdeenshire and the Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels Association as well as the city's main event complex, and these were described as "productive".
The new service is operating up to twice daily each way on weekdays and Sundays from this week. There will be an early-morning Wick departure on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from April 25.
Fares on the route start from £39.99 one way.
Speaking in Aberdeen before the return flight to Wick, Ms Morris said: "We would encourage everyone to make use of these flights – this is a service designed for everyone and offers great options for both business and leisure travel.
“One of the reasons that the flights failed in the past was the cost of them. But because it's a PSO, these flights are capped so people won't pay any more than £110 each way.
“When you think about the price of fuel now, and also the price of trains, I think it's a no-brainer really in terms of that.
“Obviously aviation has been decimated through Covid, so people have to recognise that, but as that starts to recover we'll get more onward connectivity so I think this a real opportunity for Caithness and the north Highlands to really capitalise.
"And we'll obviously be wanting to attract people in to develop those opportunities like space and offshore wind, and we have aspirations about hydrogen, but also people to come and live and work in the area.
"Companies have been struggling to recruit people. Connectivity has been cited as one of those reasons. Part of our business case was that if you make it easier to get people in, it becomes more of an attractive proposition.”
Adam Wheatley, managing director of Eastern Airways, also joined the first flight from Wick.
He said: "Connectivity is key for this region so we're really pleased to be starting the service up again. It gives business and leisure travellers the ability to connect to Aberdeen for business, or to go on to domestic or international flights.
"I think it just reinforces the decision to bring it back if the community use it. And I do appreciate that it has been a very difficult 18 months for people with the uncertainty of travel. Bookings have been encouraging so far, but what I think will happen is that as people now see that it's actually here today, and it's happening and we're flying it, then we expect people to come out and use the service."
Lorna Jack, chairperson of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, said: "We're delighted to see scheduled services back at Wick airport. It's really good news.
"As airport operator we'll play our part in ensuring that our landing charges support a successful operation here. It's great to see us flying from here again."
Around 20 new direct and indirect jobs are being created to support the service.
Last month, Highland Council said the resumption of Wick/Edinburgh flights had not been ruled out but noted that no viable tenders had been received for the reinstatement of that service.
A council spokesperson said at the time: "The Aberdeen route represented excellent value and met the needs of the local community, commuters and leisure travellers. The Edinburgh link will be looked at as and when we assess passenger demand and as funds allow."
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