Regional carrier Eastern Airways has been awarded a further four-year air service contract by the Welsh government to operate flights between Cardiff and Anglesey.
The airline has operated the route – which connects the north and south of Wales – as a Flybe franchise under a Public Service Obligation (PSO) since March 2017, during which time Eastern Airways says traffic has grown 40 per cent.
The Welsh government first awarded the PSO to Highland Airways in 2007, but the carrier went into administration in 2010.
Eastern Airways will continue to operate the two daily weekday flights until at least February 2023, when the contract expires. It currently provides a 19-seat aircraft for the route, but Welsh economy and transport minister Ken Skates says he hopes the carrier will be able to add capacity in the next four years.
Skates commented: “Wales needs to be better connected. Eastern Airways shares our ambitions to significantly grow the route over the next four years, thereby increasing the economic benefit to Wales. I hope this will include Eastern Airways operating its Jetstream 41 at the full capacity of 29 seats, offering almost 50 per cent more seats than it is currently able to offer.
“This increase would be subject to the UK government supporting the reclassification of Anglesey Airport. This would enable the full capacity utilisation of the larger aircraft, helping bring exciting growth opportunities to the region.
“The need for an increase in capacity on the route has been clearly demonstrated over the last two years. With increased efficiencies and higher yield due to additional passenger revenue, this increase in capacity would see a reduction in the subsidy over the four years of the contract when compared to continuing with a 19-seat operation.”
Roger Hage, Eastern Airways’ general manager of commercial and operations, added: “Since stepping in to cover this incredibly important economic link between the north and south of Wales, we have proactively grown passenger numbers as part of the Flybe-branded service.
“We’re delighted to have been awarded the contract to help further grow the capacity on the service in fully supporting the transport minister, and both Cardiff airport and Anglesey Council’s ambition to increase accessibility and also improve connectivity to other services offered by our franchise partner Flybe, plus Qatar, KLM, Ryanair and TUI at Cardiff.”
easternairways.com