Highlands and Islands Airports Limited

Inverness Airport will offer direct access to mainland Europe in 2009 with a new air link to Germany operated by Lufthansa, it was confirmed today (Tuesday 28 October).

German flag carrier Lufthansa will operate flights between the Highland capital and Düsseldorf International Airport on Saturdays during the peak tourism season in June, July, August and September next year.

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) welcomed the successful outcome of its route development discussions with the airline which is expected to bring a major boost to inbound tourism for the Highlands and Inner Moray Firth.

Germany is Scotland’s second largest international market for inbound tourism after the USA, accounting for 278,000 trips in 2006 and visitor spend of £123 million. Research has shown that German visitors tend to come to Scotland in the summer months and stay on average for two weeks.

The Düsseldorf service will operate on Saturdays from 20 June until 12 September 2009, one rotation per week, with Canadair Regional Jet 700 aircraft operated by Lufthansa Cityline with a 1hr 55min flight time. Further flight information and booking is available now at the www.lufthansa.com website.

Düsseldorf sits on the right bank of the Rhine, has a populkation of more than 500,000 and is the commercial centre of the Ruhr area. There are more than 260 bars and restaurants in the city’s old quarter and with outstanding museums, theatres, concert halls and galleries, Düsseldorf also has an international reputation as a centre for art and culture. For more information on the city and holidays in Germany visit the www.germany-tourism.co.uk website.

The development of the link has involved HIAL and support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Development International, Visit Scotland and the tourism and hospitality sector in the Highlands. Links with German tour operators have also been established and they are now selling holiday packages to the Highlands using the link for 2009.

Inglis Lyon, managing director of HIAL said: “Lufthansa’s direct link into Germany is a fantastic step forward for the airport and the region. For the first time we have the opportunity to bring visitors from the important German market straight into the Highlands to sample the outstanding tourism product we offer.

“Golf, whisky, outdoor pursuits and heritage are all major attractions for our German visitors and the region now has a great opportunity to capitalise on this new link. It’s a chance that I hope everyone will put their full effort behind because if it works well in 2009 we hope to expand the operation with Lufthansa in subsequent years.

“The route will also provide connectivity for our local market into mainland Europe with onward connections via Düsseldorf that will benefit business and leisure travellers so it is a win win situation achieved through effective collaboration,” said Mr Lyon.

Inverness Airport is the largest airport in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and handled a record 703,000 passengers last year. Its passenger throughput has doubled since 2000 as a result of route development with airline partners. The airport recorded its busiest month ever in August 2008 with more than 75,000 passengers using its scheduled and holiday charter flights.

The announcement of the Lufthansa Düsseldorf service was widely welcomed by stakeholders in the region.

David Smith, operations director at Scottish Development International said: “At SDI we are always looking for new ways we can help support Scottish businesses to internationalise as well as attracting overseas investment into Scotland.

“Dusseldorf is a thriving economic location at the heart of Europe. The direct access this new service will bring between Inverness, Germany and beyond has the potential to open up trade and business opportunities and bring a number of real economic benefits to the Highlands of Scotland.

“We are also delighted that the launch of this route coincides with the Homecoming Scotland events taking place throughout 2009 and hope that it will enable more people to come to Scotland and join the celebrations.”

Roger Edwards, senior development manager for international business at Highlands and Islands Enterprise said: “Good transport links from the Highlands and Islands are vital in maintaining our competitiveness as a business location and for making the area accessible for visitors. Directly linking Inverness with a major hub in Germany will open up a new route for travellers from the Highlands into Europe. It will improve opportunities for local businesses to access new markets and create exciting new opportunities from improved business links.

“The collaborative efforts that went into creating this new route provide a great example of the public and private sectors working in partnership. HIE worked closely with HIAL, SDI, the Inverness Hotels Association, Visit Scotland and other partners to create a unified business proposition to Lufthansa. The support we have provided to secure this route shows our commitment to improving the economy of the Highlands and Islands and the benefits to Scotland as a whole.”

Sue McCulloch, director of Highlands Loch Ness Marketing said: “This is tremendous news for the Highlands – offering a welcome opportunity to increase levels of business for our membership from this key market. Traditionally, German leisure visitors have arrived and departed from Edinburgh, visiting the Highlands for a short time as part of their trip. This direct link puts us in a strong position to substantially alter that trend. We will continue to work collaboratively with partners throughout the area in creating awareness of the Highland product in order to achieve this and contribute to the success of this route.”

Scott Armstrong, VisitScotland’s regional director, said: “Lufthansa’s new flight offers us the perfect opportunity to position Inverness as a must see, must return destination. This is great news for tourism businesses with opportunities to capitalise on both the leisure and business markets. It will commence during the year of Homecoming when we look forward to welcoming an even greater number of visitors who are keen to join in the fantastic array of celebrations on offer.”