The Scottish Chambers of Commerce has called on British Airways to provide “assurances” that the reduction in flights from Inverness to London Heathrow will be temporary.
The airline announced that it was cutting the number of flights on the route for the summer.
British Airways stated that it was merging some low occupancy flights where possible, in response to “challenging times for the entire industry”.
The airline announced that the present morning flight at 7am will be removed from the schedule for the summer period.
The aviation industry has lost more than £145bn and an estimated four million jobs since the start of the pandemic.
Stewart Nicol, chief executive at Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said: “The link between Inverness, which is the Highlands' biggest airport and London Heathrow is incredibly important to our regional and global connectivity and is highly valued by local businesses and consumers alike.
“Given the strong demand on this route, I’m optimistic that this reduction in flights will only be a temporary measure, however businesses will be seeking assurances that BA will reinstate this route as a priority, which will be sure to recover strongly and quickly once reinstated.”
Dr Liz Cameron, chief executive at the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “It is disappointing that there will be reduced flights between Inverness and Heathrow airports over what should be prime summer months for the domestic destination and tourism sectors, which are critical to the economy of the north of Scotland.
“We expect British Airways to follow up on its assurances that this reduction will only be temporary and that full service can be resumed as soon as possible. For businesses and tourists, this route is a critical connection and must be protected.”
A spokeswoman for British Airways, said: “The past few weeks have been challenging for the entire industry and at British Airways we're completely focused on three priorities: our customers, supporting the biggest recruitment drive in our history and increasing our operational resilience.
“We've taken action to reduce our schedule to help provide certainty for our customers and are giving them maximum flexibility to either rebook with us or another airline as close to their original departure time as possible, or to receive a full refund."
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