Dundonians are not spoiled for choice when it comes to where they can fly from their local airport.
Passengers can currently fly to three locations from Dundee Airport, which is operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL).
These destinations are London Heathrow, Sumburgh in the Shetland Isles and Kirkwall.
International travel can mean taking more convoluted journeys from Tayside to the next nearest airports at Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Boarding a connecting flight from Heathrow is also an option, with over 90 connections once you enter one of the terminal buildings near Hounslow.
But is the City of Discovery missing a trick when it comes to giving locals the chance to use their local airport?
“It is a big enough city in terms of business and education to justify having flights”, says Donald Gordon, chief executive of the Dundee Civic Trust (DCT).
“But the problem is that they just don’t make enough money.”
Are passenger flights to Dundee Airport hard to justify?
In September 2023 passenger flights connecting Dundee with Belfast were axed due to low passenger numbers.
This followed the same outcome for Amsterdam-bound flights in January 2017.
However, the latter route had been well received by Dundonians when it was launched in May 2016.
And the airport saw a 64.1% rise in passenger numbers in the year up to March 2017, according to HIAL.
This coming after the defunct Flybe started operating the route to the Netherlands.
Donald was on board one of the last flights to Amsterdam.
He also remembers when the airport provided connections to Birmingham and Manchester.
The DCT would like to see more flights landing in Dundee in principle.
But it concedes that this would need to be financially justifiable.
“Dundee is of a size which means it deserves access to an airport because otherwise it is a 65-mile journey to Aberdeen or Edinburgh”, he says.
“But it is a little bit hard to justify because every flight is heavily subsidised.”
Taxpayers paying over £6 million for Heathrow connection
The airport celebrated the first anniversary of its flight to London Heathrow in May.
At the time HIAL said four new routes from Dundee, City of Derry, Orkney and Shetland to Heathrow had carried more than 100,000 passengers.
In November 2023 Loganair was awarded a £12.4 million contract to operate Dundee-Heathrow flights until at least 2025.
The link is supported by a public service obligation (PSO).
A PSO protects routes that boost tourism, connect the UK and encourage economic growth.
And it was backed by funding from both the UK and Scottish governments, Dundee City Council and the Tay Cities Region Deal.
“We need a balance when it comes to transport”, says Donald.
“The site and quality of bus services are an important part of the mix when it comes to the airport.
“The bus services in Dundee are actually pretty good, but rail faces the national problem of being unreliable.
“At the moment the airport is probably a bit too far from the city centre. But there is the advantage of it being closer for those coming from outside Dundee.”
In December 2023 HIAL published its annual report, showing that passenger numbers for Dundee Airport were 41,127 in the year up to March 2023.
This was a 59% increase on 2021/22.
Could a move benefit Dundee Airport?
Donald believes a change of location for buses away from the Seagate would also be beneficial for the airport.
And that a move to Fife for Dundee’s main airport could improve accessibility and ability to host larger commercial planes.
“I would consider whether it would be better to have Dundee’s airport at (RAF) Leuchars”, he says.
“There are hardly ever flights there and it is manned 24/7.”
According to DCT, there weren’t too many complaints from the business community when the flights to Amsterdam and Belfast were cancelled.
But there was disappointment when London-bound flights were switched from the City Airport to the larger Heathrow Airport last year.
London City Airport is nearer the capital’s financial district and city centre.
‘Convenient air travel is taken for granted’
Network Rail’s planned electrification of the line between Dunblane and Aberdeen could also result in faster rail times to Edinburgh and London.
This could reduce the need to introduce more flights and encourage more people to take a greener form of transport to London and for onward air travel.
Andrew Llanwarne is co-ordinator of Friends of the Earth Tayside.
The group campaigns on local environmental issues and justice.
He sees the Xplore Dundee bus which runs every 90 minutes to Edinburgh Airport as an effective alternative to increasing flights from Dundee.
“Cheap and convenient air travel has become something we very much take for granted in modern life”, says Andrew.
“But it does have big environmental impacts.
“It raises big questions for society and the type of lifestyles we can enjoy without destroying the environment that sustains us.
“For those who need to travel by air, the frequent bus link to Edinburgh Airport provides access to a wide range of flights.
“Dundee Airport is restricted in the size of aircraft that can use it.
“It has struggled to add new services over the years.”
He also highlights how Dundee struggles to match other European cities when it comes to transport.
“Amsterdam and many other European cities provides integrated public transport services in ways which we struggle to achieve”, he adds.
Conversation