Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘Set record straight’
Flybe blamed the landscape around the city and said “enhanced radar coverage is required” for the company to carry on operating the service.
But entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl, who uses the airport regularly for business and has flown several times to Amsterdam, has called for the airline to “set the record straight” — claiming Dundee is well-placed to host commercial flights as it has done so for years.
He told the Tele: “In general, this is incredibly disappointing.
“It was the most successful route Flybe had run out of Dundee.
“Services have been run out of Dundee for decades so it’s absolute nonsense citing this radar thing as an issue and Flybe should give people the real reason they’ve stopped the route. 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”.
It followed a two-month spell where passengers were already being bussed from Dundee to Edinburgh to fly to Amsterdam, with Flybe citing operational reasons.
Mr van der Kuyl, a games developer who is also involved in the Shed 25 project at City Quay, added: “What we need to do is find an airline that wants to be in Dundee, because the route was clearly a massive success.
“I’ve been on the flight a few times and every time it’s been busier than any of Flybe’s other routes when we’ve flown out of Edinburgh.”
When Mr van der Kuyl’s comments were put to Flybe, the airline said it would be making no further comment, and referred the Tele to its previous statement. The company insists it will look at opportunities to operate out of Dundee in the future.
A DUNDEE business chief has leapt to the defence of Dundee Airport after Flybe pulled its popular route to Amsterdam.