A PLANNED increase in daily flights connecting the Highland capital with Amsterdam has been welcomed by an Inverness tourism body.

KLM announced this week that its flights connecting Inverness Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol will increase to up to three daily services with the reintroduction of the summer timetable from March 28.

This will allow more people to visit the capital of the Netherlands or give more connecting options for those wishing to travel further afield.

Michael Golding, chief executive of Visit Inverness Loch Ness, said: “Up to three times daily flights from Amsterdam is great news for tourism businesses.

“It has been an incredibly tough few years, and the outlook remains challenging with incoming legislation making business ever more complicated and expensive for businesses and visitors.

“We need our high-spending international visitors to return so businesses can recover and return to sustainability, the good news is we know that visitors want to come.

“The increase in flights will help to bring these visitors from around the world and provide businesses with growing hope for a strong season.”

Inverness Airport general manager, Graeme Bell, said: “The Amsterdam service provides a key element of our long-term sustainability of connectivity for the Inverness area, as well as the wider Highlands and Islands. It opens a world of possibility for passengers, with connections across Asia, Europe, North America, and more.

“It’s fantastic to see the KLM service return to three times daily on a Saturday as we launch the new summer schedule from March 26. This offers residents more options while also providing an important link for tourism and business in Inverness and the wider Highland economy.”

The increased timetable is expected to run until October 28, adding to the current timetable of one flight to and from Inverness each day.

The route was first launched in 2011 under Flybe, with KLM running the service since 2016.

Currently, this is the only route linking the Highland capital to a destination outside the UK.

It connects the main Highland airport to Amsterdam Schiphol, the fourth biggest airport in Europe, which enables travel to and from popular destinations worldwide.

Earlier this year Inverness Airport was named best airport under two million passengers in Europe as well as scooping awards for most dedicated staff, easiest airport journey and cleanest airport in Europe at an industry awards scheme.

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