Air links to a Norweigian oil city lost when a north-east airline collapsed will resume today.
BMI Regional’s new route linking Aberdeen and Kristiansund takes off for the first time this morning.
An Embraer 145 jet will fly between the key oil and gas industry hubs once a day, Monday to Friday.
It will be the first time the cities have been linked since 2008, when Aberdeen-based City Star Airlines went under.
Last night BMI Regional chief executive, Cathal O’Connell, said the new flights were a sign of the firm’s commitment to the energy industry, adding: “We are primarily a business airline; we see the UK oil and gas industry as a key market as we grow our operations.
“Aberdeen is clearly well served when it comes to accessing global hubs like Heathrow or Schiphol but where we can add value are in ‘thinner’ routes where a direct service can save businesses huge amounts of time and therefore money. Equally, our charter solutions are frequently being employed for one-off flights or short-term corporate shuttles.
“For example, we were operating a weekly charter out of Aberdeen to Kristiansund for a corporate client before we launched the scheduled connection.
“There will be some leisure traffic on the service but it’s primarily about oil and gas and offering the business traveller the advantage of flying direct.”
Both Shell and Statoil have offices in Kristiansund from where they serve their offshore installations at Haltenbanken, one of the most northerly subsea oil and gas provinces in the world.
There are about 13 offshore installations – including subsea structures – being serviced from the city and this will increase to more than 30 by 2020.
BMI Regional marked its first anniversary as a standalone carrier in June following its acquisition from International Airlines Group, the parent of BA and Iberia, in 2012.
Mr O’Connell also hinted that further new routes could soon follow, if there was a strong business case
He said: “Looking ahead, growth out of Aberdeen will be based upon identifying city pairs with strong business demand. Scandinavia has significant potential and is a market where we are already active.
“Ultimately, new routes will be founded upon thorough research and dialogue with key businesses and client groups within the oil and gas industry.”
Service can save businesses huge amounts of time
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