Aberdeen Wins Bid to Host Routes Europe 2015

Aberdeen City and Shire will host Routes Europe 2015.

Routes Europe, to be held from 12-14 April 2015, is one of the region’s largest route development forums and enables the aviation industry’s decision makers from across Europe to examine air services, discuss new market opportunities and developments and get up to speed on potential new destinations.

The confirmation of Aberdeen as the Host destination for Routes Europe 2015 represents the culmination of a successful bid to host the event which was initiated by Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ) in which all of the region’s key stakeholders were involved in supporting the proposal. These stakeholders include; Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels Association, Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future, AECC, Aberdeen International Airport, National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Travel Scotland, VisitAberdeen, VisitScotland Business Tourism Unit and VisitScotland.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said, “The Scottish Government is working to secure more direct international flights from Scotland and hosting events such Routes Europe supports this ambition. This event is a great opportunity to showcase the continuing strength of the economy of the North-East and the dynamic nature of Aberdeen International Airport as one of the fastest growing airports in the UK. It is also an opportunity to showcase what Scotland as a whole has to offer airline operators, namely an ambitious, forward-looking country keen to do business with our international neighbours.”

Chairman of Aberdeenshire Council's Infrastructure Services Committee, Peter Argyle, said, “Bringing this significant tourism event to the North-East is an excellent achievement, and another demonstration that local authorities and their partners are working hard to make the most of what the area has to offer. It is another chance to highlight to those in the travel trade and airline industry just what we have to offer in this area and try to secure even more of the global tourism market. We hope that one of the outcomes will be increased flights and routes to and from Aberdeen International Airport, with one of the major benefits being increased visitors to the region.”

Aberdeen is the gateway to Scotland’s castle and whisky country. Scotland’s Castle trail runs through the heart of Aberdeenshire and the region is home to 13 of the world’s most unique castles. Aberdeen is also known as ‘the Granite City’ named for its sparkling buildings, built from locally quarried grey granite, and elegant architecture. The city’s old town, Old Aberdeen, dates back to the 1400s and is home to the oldest granite cathedral in the world, St Machar’s Cathedral. The City, which is home to around 250,000 inhabitants, is within 15 minutes of the stunning countryside which surrounds Aberdeen and is also the capital of the Grampian Highlands with the majestic Grampian Mountains dominating the skyline to the west and miles of unspoiled coastline to the east.

David Stroud, Executive Vice President for Routes, said, “Aberdeen International Airport is already well connected across Europe and will allow easy access for delegates. Routes Europe has experienced substantial year-on-year growth and the AECC will offer plenty of scope for further growth in 2015. The Aberdeen partners demonstrated a highly unified and aligned approach in their bid to host the event and we look forward to working with Team Aberdeen towards Routes Europe 2015 to further develop air service into ABZ.”

Aberdeen provides a great example of the interconnection between air connectivity and economic growth. Aberdeen International Airport operates over 80 daily scheduled routes and recently went through a runway extension allowing for new international and national flights into the city. Over 60% of the airport’s passenger traffic is business traffic predominantly driven by the energy industry and the airport also has one of the biggest commercial helicopter operations in the world, carrying over 500,000 passengers per year.

Improving international air connectivity continues to be a key area for the development of Scotland’s globally competitive business environment and Routes Europe is an ideal opportunity for Scotland to showcase its economic development potential and the opportunities that exist for the development of new air links to Europe.

With daily services to many regional destinations, such as London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol, Copenhagen and Frankfurt, Aberdeen International Airport provides the highest level of hub connectivity of any UK regional airport.

Carol Benzie, the airport’s Commercial Director, said, “Securing Routes Europe in 2015 is a major achievement for everyone involved. The profile that this conference will bring to the region is hard to over-state. The event brings airlines and industry leaders from around the globe to the city and will ensure that the delegates get a chance to see what the wider region has to offer ... Our ability to host major events and showcase our area will be one of the key outcomes of Routes Europe in 2015, and will provide a lasting legacy within the industry. As a team, we are very much looking forward to playing our part in what will be a milestone event.”