Flybe scraps Inverness to London City flights
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FLYBE has announced it is to scrap its Inverness to London City Airport flights barely two months after they were launched.
The regional airline only launched the service at the end of October in a ceremony that also saw one of its planes renamed "The Spirit of Inverness".
But this afternoon it announced the suspension of flights between the two airports, blaming low passenger numbers. The final flights will take place in late February.
The move comes as the low cost airline announces increased services between London City and Edinburgh and Belfast City Airports.
A Flybe spokesman said: "Flybe constantly reviews its schedule as part of its disciplined approach to growth.
"As a result, Flybe is regrettably suspending its Inverness to London City service with effect from Sunday 22nd February due to lower than anticipated passenger numbers".
The airline has not said if the suspension of services will be permanent, or if it may try to reintroduce a seasonal service during the busier summer months when tourist numbers increase.
The announcement of the service's suspension comes after Inverness Airport reported a fall in passenger numbers.
In the three months to September the number of passengers fell by 5.7 per cent on the same period in 2013. The passenger figures for the three months to the end of 2014 have not yet been released.
At the time the last set of figures were released Highlands and Islands Airports, which runs the Dalcross site, blamed a lower number of charter holiday flights, but added that it expected the new service to London City - and increased flight numbers to Manchester - to reverse that trend going into 2015.
It is unclear how much the suspension of the London City service will affect these figures, given the increased number of Manchester flights and Flybe's launch of a new Inverness to Dublin service in late 2014.
