HIAL today (Monday 28 February 2005) welcomed the start of the region’s newest air service linking Wick, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Eastern Airways starts flying the triangular route today, allowing passengers from Caithness to access a host of onward connections from both Aberdeen and Inverness airports.

The service increases the number of flights on Eastern’s existing Aberdeen-Wick route and also creates new links between Wick and Inverness and Inverness and Aberdeen, giving passengers the opportunity to connect to Eastern’s other 11 destinations throughout the United Kingdom from the North of Scotland.

Eastern Airways is basing a Jetstream aircraft at Wick and the airline’s Scotland Director Graeme Ross is delighted with the reaction to the services from the local market.

“The local community made it perfectly clear that this was a facility desperately needed and advance bookings most definitely reinforce that viewpoint with a marked increase in passengers connecting to our other destinations from both the Wick to Inverness and Wick to Aberdeen services. In addition, the augmented service has, not only protected the existing employees we have based at the airport but has also resulted in a requirement for extra ground staff and cabin attendants,” said Mr Ross.

Angela Donaldson, Regional Manager North with HIAL said: “Caithness travellers have long sought improved air connectivity from their local airport. Eastern has committed to providing this with support from both HIAL and local stakeholders and we look forward to this service being well utilised, especially by business travellers.”

James Walton, HIAL’s Inverness Airport Manager, added: “This is the third route operated by Eastern at Inverness and the new service is a valuable addition to the options available to air travellers at the airport. It also lays the foundations for passenger growth in 2005/06 as will the addition on easyJet’s daily service to Belfast which starts in July of this year.”

The first early morning flight from Wick departs at 7.00am today with the revised timetable effective as follows:

FROM WICK TO ABERDEEN

FROM ABERDEEN TO WICK

FROM ABERDEEN TO INVERNESS

FROM INVERNESS TO ABERDEEN

FROM INVERNESS TO WICK

FROM WICK TO INVERNESS

* via INV

Eastern Airways operates some 750 scheduled flights each week and will carry approximately 500,000 passengers this year on a network embracing Aberdeen, Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Humberside, Inverness, Isle of Man, Leeds Bradford, London Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham East Midlands, Southampton, Teesside and Wick.

Eastern Airways' fleet comprises British Aerospace J32s/J41s; Saab 2000 and Embraer 145 regional jet aircraft.

In addition to its scheduled passenger services, Eastern Airways operates a special to-order passenger and freight aircraft charter service in the UK and mainland Europe for corporate and private clients.

For further information visit the www.easternairways.com website.

ENDS