Alex Salmond has welcomed Flybe’s launch of new services from Scotland to London City airport, saying they would liberate business travellers from Heathrow and reduce British Airways overcharging.
Flybe launched operations from London City on Monday with six routes connecting the UK and Ireland to the capital’s financial district. Scotland is a key beneficiary with multiple daily services to Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.
Salmond, who arrived on the new flight from Aberdeen, said extra connections to the heart of London would be a great boost. “This sort of convenience is crucial. You have to have the competition to avoid British Airways charging everyone through the nose. And we’re not caught in the maw of Heathrow.”
His comments come only months after Willie Walsh, boss of BA’s parent company IAG, backed Salmond’s campaign for Scottish independence, which raised the prospect of lower aviation taxes. Salmond reiterated his pledge to scrap air passenger duty in Scotland if sufficient powers over taxation are devolved, saying that the move would help increase tourist spending.
Salmond said that despite Virgin’s decision to close down domestic airline Little Red, flights were viable. “Little Red was a feeder for Virgin. If you have a flight which is specifically designed for a business customer, that is connectivity. I could have been swimming in the Thames before 9 this morning.”
Flybe’s other City routes are to its base in Exeter, to Dublin, and to Belfast. Danny Kennedy, the regional development minister for Northern Ireland, said the air connections with London and regions were essential for Belfast. “Flybe gives us that opportunity in a unique way. It’s economic lifeblood.”
The carrier is returning to the capital after retrenching its network to stem losses. It expects to fly over half a million passengers annually to and from City airport.
Saad Hammad, chief executive of Flybe, said the sight of the rebranded purple aircraft at City was testament to a year of recovery and turnaround at the airline, which has struggled for survival. He said there was now a “much more rigorous approach to growth; no more seat of the pants, voodoo management. Historically, sadly, we never had a cost-control culture, they were out of whack.”
Flybe has signed a five-year deal at City. The airport’s chief executive, Declan Collier, said that while the airport was not a long term answer to problems of capacity in the south-east of England, “In the short to medium term, we believe we can relieve pressure by taking short haul flights. We can provide real regional connectivity in the UK.”
