Low-cost Swedish airline Snowflake has announced that it will fly a twice-weekly service between Inverness and Stockholm from March 2004.

The airline, a division of SAS, will operate return flights on Mondays and Fridays from 29 March 2004 with one-way fares starting at £45. Flights will be operated with Boeing 737-600 aircraft.

The announcement follows positive discussions between HIAL and the airline. The new route will be the first direct European scheduled service available from Inverness in 2004 and is expected to provide a major boost to tourism in the Highlands. It is being supported by the Scottish Executive’s Route Development Fund.

HIAL and Inverness and Nairn Enterprise (INE) jointly hosted a familiarisation visit to the region by Snowflake managers following the Routes 2003 aviation networking event in Edinburgh at the beginning of September.

Mats Sigurdson, director of operations at Snowflake said: "We are delighted to introduce Inverness as a Snowflake destination. A direct connection between Stockholm and the Scottish Highlands will provide fast and easy access to some of the most beautiful areas in the world, regardless of which way you are travelling.

"Snowflake is Scandinavian Airlines’ low-cost carrier and flies to 17 European destinations out of Stockholm and Copenhagen, a number that is increasing with the introduction of Inverness, Venice (Italy), Split (Croatia), Skopje (Macedonia) and Valetta (Malta)," said Mr Sigurdson.

Alex Johnson, Commercial and Marketing Manager at HIAL, said: "This is fantastic news and we are delighted that our discussions with Snowflake have resulted in a twice weekly service linking Inverness and Stockholm.

"After the recent Routes 2003 aviation networking event in Edinburgh HIAL and INE brought managers from Snowflake up to Inverness and showed them what the area has to offer visitors. They are confident that the region will prove a draw for the Scandinavian market and that it will also stimulate traffic from Scotland to Sweden.

"We believe this service will provide a major boost for tourism in the region and fit well with the expanding range of full service and no-frills flight options from Inverness. Support from the Scottish Executive’s Route Development Fund and HIE is again enabling us to expand the range of services available to travellers in the region," said Mr Johnson.

INE, which co-hosted the Snowflake managers' visit earlier this year, also welcomed the airline's announcement.

INE chief executive Stuart Black said: "The re-introduction of scheduled international flights from Inverness marks a significant step forward for the airport and underlines its attractiveness to a variety of operators.

"I am delighted with this announcement, which is another good example of how HIAL and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network are working together to bring new operators to the airport.

"Inverness is a regional hub airport and the continued growth of new services is benefiting the whole of the Highlands," said Mr Black.

ENDS