A plea has been made to protect Aberdeen International Airport after the launch of a new route was postponed.
Loganair had been due to begin its service between the north-east and East Midlands Airport on February 24.
However, it has been deferred due to a lack of bookings.
Conservative MSP Liam Kerr has now called on the Scottish Government to support the airport.
He said: “Aberdeen can’t be left behind other regions across Scotland and more support must be given to the airport to help increase its footfall.
“This is another blow and the SNP Government must sit up and take note of the number of Aberdeen routes which have been axed by other airlines, including Ryanair and Eastern Airways in recent months, which is very concerning.
“It is vital existing routes are maintained and I know Aberdeen International Airport is doing everything it can to attract new ones to ensure tourism and business links can continue to benefit.”
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A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “The Scottish Government has a strong track record helping all Scotland’s airports improve connectivity.
“We work very closely with AGS Airports to support their route development ambitions and are always open to supporting new international routes that are important for business or inbound tourism.” Loganair confirmed passengers who had booked on the service would be offered a refund or alternative flights.
A spokeswoman said: “During the first few weeks of 2020, the difficult economic circumstances that arose last autumn simply haven’t improved.
“Forward bookings for the Aberdeen to East Midlands route have been well below expectations and we’ve therefore reluctantly taken the decision to defer the launch of the route until further notice.
“It’s very rare that we would take such a step, yet the market conditions simply aren’t going to support this brand new route.
“We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused and will work with them to put alternative travel plans in place.”
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