The Highland Council and Transport Scotland have awarded Eastern Airways a contract to provide a year-round service to Aberdeen from Wick John O’Groats Airport.
The service, which will operate under a Public Service Obligation (PSO), will provide a direct connection to the airport hub at Aberdeen for three years.
It will be funded by £1m from Transport Scotland and £300,000 a year from Highland Council.
The service will operate up to twice daily each way on weekdays and Sundays from 11 April, helping restore regional connectivity from Caithness and Sutherland to the hub airport of Aberdeen. This will include an early morning Wick John O’Groats departure on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 25 April.
The flight schedule has been designed to provide maximum opportunity for connections through Aberdeen Airport, both domestically and for international destination options.
Fares on the route start from £39.99 one-way, including a complimentary 15kg hold bag and all taxes and charges.
Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth said: “This service will benefit business travellers and provide visitors with a direct route to experience all that Caithness can offer.
“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the service both through our direct contribution to the cost of the flights and our ongoing subsidy of Wick John O’Groats Airport.”
Leader of the Highland Council Margaret Davidson said: “Caithness is very much at the fore of expanding the development of future opportunities in sectors such as renewable energy and space - with these new opportunities comes not only supply chain benefits to the local economy but also inward migration and the creation of high value jobs.
“As a council we could not have afforded to cover the costs of the service ourselves, so we are very grateful and thank the Scottish Government and Nuclear Decommissioning Agency for their help.”
Eastern Airways managing director Adam Wheatley added: “Working in partnership with The Highland Council, Transport Scotland and key regional stakeholders, connecting again one of the most distant surface transport journeys in Scotland to the hub airport of Aberdeen, in a low emission aircraft, fits our belief in how sustainable aviation can meet the need of the UK economy and extensive connectivity into the future.”
The service will operate on low-emission regional turbo-prop aircraft also ensuring the route is delivered as a low carbon environmentally sustainable option.
Established in 1997, Eastern Airways already serves Aberdeen Airport from Humberside and Newcastle, in addition to a growing number of energy sector customers to Sumburgh, Shetland and Haugesund, Norway.
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