High rollers

Dundee Airport is bracing itself for a huge influx of private aircraft as the Open brings golf’s elite and wealthy fans to Angus

Private jets make beeline for Dundee –

Q What’s the process for people informing you they are bringing in a jet?

A Primarily, all jets have to adhere to Customs and Immigration requirements if travelling in to the UK from overseas.

Each aircraft must file a specific flight plan and have to have been given permission to operate in European airspace.

During the planning and booking stages, jet operators will liaise directly with the airport team to ensure all the necessary paperwork is completed and to allow us to cater to any specific requests that an individual operator may have.

On the day of arrival, the pilots will be in constant communication with our air traffic controllers from take-off to landing and right up until the jet has arrived into the airport.

We try to keep the process easy and straightforward.

Q How many private planes are you expecting in the run up to the Open? There will certainly be an increase in air traffic during the Open.

A During the 2016 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship we had 15 sitting on the ramp at one point.

The value of all these jets at that time was around £500 million.

For the Open we estimate we will service in the region of 80 to 100 aircraft movements throughout the tournament week.

As you would imagine, the later part of the week is particularly busy, especially the Sunday evening on completion of the event and top players head on to the next event on the pro circuit.

Q What challenges does this pose for the airport? A We have to scale up our operations. The ground crews, handling and air traffic control all have an increased workload.

We have the benefit that we regularly serve some of the world’s best golfers, business people and other high net worth individuals.

This is what we do day in day out throughout the year, but the Open is on a bigger scale.

This is one of our most exciting and busiest times of the year and the team love being a part of such a significant and iconic event.

There is a great buzz around the airport, Dundee, Carnoustie and the surrounding region.

We are really looking forward to welcoming visitors from around the world.

Q What are the economic benefits of the Open to the airport?

A There is an increase in air traffic, which brings with it landing fees and parking fees – both of which are reinvested back into the airport.

Golf “traffic” is an important growth area for Dundee Airport and events such as the Open help promote the area to key markets around the world. Q Is this an event you look forward to? A Very much so. It’s a highlight of the golfing calendar and a boost for local tourism.

It is a great chance for everyone to get together.

We are proud to play our part in making visitors feel welcome to this beautiful part of Scotland.

All of the airport team love to meet all of our customers coming to the area for the event.

Over the years we have served some of the most famous names in golf from Jack Nicklaus to last year’s Masters winner, Sergio Garcia.

Q Do you believe there is a longer term benefit in growing golf tourism trips to this area?

A Absolutely. We are perfectly located to service golf tourism as the area is blessed with some of the most historic and iconic courses in the country. We are already seeing the benefits. Late last year we welcomed a series of chartered flights from Denmark from tour operators Green 2 Green with more booked for this year.

There are several other tourism opportunities that we already capitalise on, including individuals who come to fish and hunt on nearby Highland estates all of which benefit the local economy.

We work in close partnership with all our regional stakeholders and meet on a regular basis to look at how we can maximise any opportunity.

For the Open we estimate we will service in the region of80to100 aircraft movements in the tournament week. DERRICK LANG DUNDEE AIRPORT