BUDGET airline Flybe has announced it is to suspend its Dundee-to-Amsterdam flights after just seven months because the radar coverage is not good enough.
The service was launched in May providing Dundee with its only international air link but last month the airline said it was temporarily re-routing the service, with passengers being taken by bus to Edinburgh Airport.
Flybe has blamed the decision on the volume of light aircraft activity at Dundee Airport and a lack of suitable radar coverage.
Despite its move to suspend the flights, Flybe insisted it was still committed to exploring future opportunities from Dundee and said the route had proved “very popular” when it started in May.
A statement from the airline added: “However, due to the topography coupled with high levels of light aircraft activity in the surrounding area, it has become clear that enhanced radar coverage is required to accommodate the operation of our large passenger aircraft.”
Flybe said it would continue to offer customers with existing bookings the option of a full refund, or a road transfer between Dundee and Edinburgh with a flight between Edinburgh and Amsterdam.
Simon Laffin, executive chairman of Flybe, said: “Serving Scotland is one of the most important parts of the Flybe business. We have tried very hard to find a way to operate out of Dundee, but we would need better radar coverage to operate in the area. We very much hope that this can be provided in the future to allow our flights to resume.”
Dundee West MP Chris Law said the news was disappointing “on a lot of levels” after working to bring international flights to Dundee.
He added: “I’m deeply disappointed by this decision on a lot of levels. It has been a very popular flight, one of Flybe’s most successful routes. I worked hard on this campaign got a huge number of people to get the flight here. We have been working with Flybe to try and resolve these issues and everybody is committed to that.I hope to bring this to a positive conclusion and we are looking at other operators.”
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