Flybe boss Christine Ourmieres-Widener insisted yesterday the regional airline was “here for the long haul” and rejected talk of there being no room for two rival operators on lifeline routes to the Scottish islands.
Ms Ourmieres-Widener, who took over as chief executive at Exeter-based Flybe in January, was responding to bullish comments from her counterpart at Scottish carrier Loganair this week.
Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles repeated previously reported misgivings about the economics of two airlines competing for business on routes to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.
He also said Paisley-based Loganair would make sure it had “a louder bagpiper” when the pair celebrate their competing services taking off from Aberdeen tomorrow following the end of a long-standing partnership. Eastern Airways has replaced Loganair as Flybe’s franchise partner.
Yesterday, Ms Ourmieres-Widener said she welcomed the prospect of competition delivering badly needed choice for people travelling to and from the islands.
“I understand how important these connections are,” she said, adding: “We have been operating in Scotland for 20 years and it remains a very important market for us.
“We are an established and key player here and will continue to be so.”
Flybe operates 53,000 flights a year in and out of Scottish airports, meaning 3.6million seat sales annually.
Ms Ourmieres-Widener said the airline had done its homework on the island routes and the business case was sound.
She added: “If you look at the air travel market for these destinations, then you can see how high fares may have prevented people from travelling.”
Lower fares under competition will not only lead to passenger growth on these routes but deliver economic benefits for the region, she said.
A price war has already kicked off on the Stornoway-Glasgow service, with the Eastern/Flybe partnership and Loganair both offering outbound fights for less than £70.
Flybe has also teamed up with Eastern for scheduled domestic and short-haul international and private charter services from UK airports including Aberdeen, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, Humberside, Leeds-Bradford, Norwich, Newcastle and Southampton.
Ms Ourmieres-Widener said: “We really are here for the long haul and committed to delivering the best project for them (passengers), delivering the widest possible choice for their connections to the rest of the UK and the rest of the world.”