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Dundee Matters: Flybe must come clean on Amsterdam route

A flight to Amsterdam taking off from Dundee.
A flight to Amsterdam taking off from Dundee.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the air route between Dundee and Amsterdam failed to survive 2016.

Operators Flybe finally pulled the plug on the service last week, after weeks of bussing passengers to and from Edinburgh Airport for their flights.

Highlands and Islands Airports, which runs Dundee Airport on behalf of the city council, says it is optimistic the service will resume in the future.

But even if that is true, Flybe owes its customers a proper explanation for why the flights have been grounded since November.

For weeks, the company would only say “operational” reasons were responsible for stopping the flights from Dundee.

Last week its explanation for the suspension only muddied the waters further: the company said a lack of suitable radar cover for large aircraft was the main driver for their decision to end the service.

Asked to clarify why the flights could operate from May to November without incident have been met with nothing but a frosty silence.

Private companies are not obliged to divulge the thinking behind their business decisions but the route was only set up with the assistance of public money.

As well as subsidies from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund, Dundee City Council ploughed in £200,000 to support the route.

Then the council spent another £100,000 to promote Dundee as a tourist destination to Dutch travellers.

That money was not wasted. The air route has, by any estimate, been a huge success.

Not only was it popular with Tayside travellers, it was also credited with boosting visitor numbers at tourist attractions across the city.

Flybe also needs to do something to restore public trust after its abysmal treatment of passengers since November.

People who had booked tickets did not know whether they would fly from Dundee Airport, or whether their journeys would be extended by two hours on a bus as they were shuttled to and from Edinburgh Airport.

More importantly, if there is some problem at Dundee Airport which could restrict international flights, it would be good if that was in the open so it could at least be addressed.

In a year’s time the city will be gearing up for the opening of the V&A.

An internationally-connected airport is vital if the city is to capitalise fully on the opportunity it represents.