The first ever direct scheduled flight between Aberdeen and the Isle of Lewis is set to take off on Monday 9 January 2006 when Eastern Airways introduces its service between Aberdeen and Stornoway.

The service departs Aberdeen at 1225 and Stornoway at 1355 each weekday, with flights taking just one hour. The schedule provides excellent connectivity with Eastern Airways’ other services to and from Aberdeen. 

Graeme Ross, Eastern Airways’ director Scotland, said: “We have experienced strong interest in the route since we announced it and we are looking forward to welcoming passengers from both the business and leisure markets. We paid a great deal of attention to the timings to ensure that travellers have maximum connectivity to other regions in the UK.”

John Hay, regional manager west at Highlands and Islands Airports limited, said: “This service will offer major benefits to people on the islands and we are delighted to have been able to work with Eastern Airways to get it introduced for 2006. It offers both access to the North-east of Scotland and a wide range of onward flights from Aberdeen.”

Andy Flower, managing director of Aberdeen airport, said: "This new service will meet a much requested call for a direct link between Aberdeen and the Western Isles. I am delighted that Eastern Airways has responded so readily to the opportunity and I am confident it will become a popular feature of our steadily expanding network of routes."

Welcoming the new air service, a spokesperson for Outer Hebrides Chamber of Commerce said: “A service such as this one is good on all fronts for these Islands, offering improved transport links from and to the Islands and Aberdeen as well as onwards from Aberdeen.

“The Islands have enjoyed a long commercial association with Aberdeen and its environs spanning many decades as seen today, for example, in the numbers involved in offshore industries living in the Islands and the strong links between Outer Hebrides Chamber of Commerce and Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

"This service offers users even more choice and creates healthy competition particularly in terms of onward destinations adding Aberdeen to the existing choices of Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh”.

Flights can now be booked with web fares starting from £99 return including taxes. Please visit www.easternairways.com for further information.

Stornoway passengers can connect with onward Eastern Airways services from Aberdeen to Bristol, Durham Tees Valley, Humberside, Leeds/Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham East Midlands, Southampton and Wick.