Moves are under way to restore scheduled flights to and from Wick.
The far north has been off the radar of airlines since the long-established links with Aberdeen and Edinburgh were grounded at the start of last year.
But the bid to reinstate the links at Wick John O’Groats Airport on the back of a public subsidy is now looking to take off.
Caithness Chamber of Commerce took the lead in pushing for a Public Service Obligation (PSO) to underpin the restoration of scheduled flights.
Millions pledged
The Scottish government in February pledged £4 million over four years while Highland Council has committed £300,000.
While a hoped-for contribution from the UK government has yet to emerge, the council is taking the lead to elicit interest from airlines in flying PSO-supported routes.
Peter Faccenda, manager of Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership, said: “Highland Council has appointed a specialist procurement manager who has been working for the past six weeks on the paperwork to go out to tender on this.
“We’re getting very close to being ready to go to market and looking for quotes.
“Within a couple of weeks, we will be ready to go out to significant suppliers
“We’ll be at the mercy of what the market comes back with but there are people who are interested in running the routes.”
Seeking high flyers
Eastern Airways and Loganair axed the Aberdeen and Edinburgh services respectively towards the start of the pandemic but both before then had been struggling to make ends meet.
The chamber has established Aberdeen and Edinburgh remain the destinations that far north businesses need both for day returns and onward connections.
Highland Councillor Raymond Bremner, who chairs Wick airport consultative committee, yesterday said a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes.
He said: “There’s been a bit of a news void recently and that may have led many in the community to think that it’s hit the dust.
“The reason that there have not been any updates is that we’ve been at a high level of discussions which are commercially sensitive.
“There is a lot of work being put in by a lot of people to make sure this works.”
Mr Bremner said the current process is based on the level of funding currently on the table for the PSO.
Is it viable?
Any additional support would be used to strengthen the viability of the new routes.
Mr Bremner said: “There’s a lot to do to ensure that what goes forward is a success and meets the needs of local businesses, the community and tourists.
“We have got to be patient to allow this process to be done correctly and thoroughly.”