Airline Bmi Regional reports a surge in bookings on its Aberdeen routes as the city prepares to host Offshore Europe (OE) 2015 from September 8-11.
The carrier, which has its headquarters functions split between Aberdeen and East Midlands Airport, said yesterday it had seen a 25% increase in sales for its Oslo, Esbjerg, Norwich and Bristol routes into Aberdeen for the week of the big oil and gas industry exhibition and conference.
OE 2015 is expected to attract in excess of 63,000 visitors from more than 100 countries as the offshore sector continues to grapple with the new market dynamics resulting from sub-$50 barrel oil.
Bmi Regional has a long history of providing scheduled and charter air services to support the oil and gas industry.
Chief commercial officer Paul Sies said: “Bookings across all of our Aberdeen routes are showing strong growth for the week of Offshore Europe as the city prepares for the influx of UK and international delegates.
“With the industry’s current focus on costs, we are also seeing a number of bookings taking advantage of the ability to fly in and out of Aberdeen for the day during a week when accommodation is under pressure and overnight stops are particularly expensive.
BMI Regional carries around 500,000 passengers a year on more than 300 scheduled flights a week across a network of 22 destinations in 10 countries. In 2014, its Aberdeen routes accounted for 125,000 passengers.