Wick/Aberdeen timetable changes aimed at ensuring ‘continued sustainability’
Timetable changes resulting in the loss of morning flights between Wick and Aberdeen were brought in “to ensure the continued sustainability of the route”.
The comment was made by Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner, who acknowledged that there had been “impacts on regular service users”.
He said the past year had been “a challenging one” but insisted the goal is “to enable and support the delivery of lifeline air services” in the far north.
Last month the council received confirmation from the Scottish Government that it would continue to provide funding for the Wick/Aberdeen public service obligation (PSO) into the new financial year.
Scottish Government support in 2025/26 will again be up to £1 million, while the local authority is continuing with its yearly commitment of £300,000.
Eastern Airways, which operates the route, has regularly faced criticism over delays and cancellations.
Eleven days after the Scottish Government funding announcement, a revised Wick PSO timetable came into effect with Monday and Friday morning flights dropped from the schedule.
Councillor Bremner, who represents the Wick and East Caithness ward and is chairman of the Wick John O’Groats Airport Working Group, said this week: “We regularly review the schedule with Eastern Airways and other PSO stakeholders with a view to both route sustainability and to maximising connectivity wherever possible.
“The recent schedule change, which came into place on March 24, was made in order to ensure the continued sustainability of the route. This will enable the service to continue operating six days per week, with a single return flight on weekdays and Sundays.
“We are aware that this change has had impacts on regular service users, and we will continue to review and make adaptations to the schedule where possible to address these and to maximise the utility of the service for as many people as possible.
“The past year has been a challenging one for the service, and we have had to make some difficult decisions to ensure its continued sustainability, but ultimately our goal is as it has always been – to enable and support the delivery of lifeline air services to people living and working in the north Highlands.”
Flights were reduced from twice a day to once a day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays last year due to low demand for the morning midweek service.
The changes were later reported to have brought “positive results”, with fewer cancellations and an increase in passenger numbers.
Last month Councillor Bremner described the continued funding as “a testament to the power of partnership working” and stressed that Wick John O’Groats Airport could help in enabling “a wealth of opportunities in the region” in years to come.
A Facebook group has been set up to push for better connectivity for Caithness. It is called Eastern Airways – Caithness Tracker and has almost 450 members.
Jacqueline Innes, who created the group, felt there was a need to gather statistics and passenger experiences to highlight the “shoddy” nature of Wick’s air links when compared with national average figures on delays and cancellations.
Speaking after the PSO announcement, Scotland’s minister for connectivity Jim Fairlie said: “We are pleased to be providing up to £1 million to Highland Council to support the continued operation of the Wick to Aberdeen air service.
“In addition, we will continue to provide support to Highlands and Islands Airports Limited for the ongoing operation of Wick John O’Groats Airport.
“This is a significant financial commitment and demonstrates the importance we continue to place on supporting the Caithness area.”
Revised Wick PSO timetable, covering the period from March 24 to October 25:
Aberdeen to Wick – Monday: 1430. Tuesday: 1430. Wednesday: 1430. Thursday: 1430. Friday: 1530. Saturday: No flight. Sunday: 1430.
Wick to Aberdeen – Monday: 1535. Tuesday: 1535. Wednesday: 1535. Thursday: 1535. Friday: 1635. Saturday: No flight. Sunday: 1535.
