Dutch airline KLM will more than double its capacity at Inverness this summer.

Between mid-May and the end of the summer timetable in late October KLM will fly twice daily between Inverness and Amsterdam.

It will also operate all flights with larger Embraer 190 aircraft.

Operating two flights daily is significant. It means Highlanders gain from more international connection possibilities but overseas visitors can more easily reach that part of Scotland.

KLM is mainly a sixth-freedom (transfer) airline and therefore it must continually seek new opportunities.

Presumably it sees potential in the Scottish Highlands seeing as there is little competition in the region from other transfer carriers.

In Scotland the Gulf carriers (who have already stolen a chunk of KLM’s market) operate only from Edinburgh and Glasgow. And the man rival (for transfer passengers) is British Airways’ single daily flight between Inverness and London Heathrow.

A glance at KLM’s schedules reveal that they are very much geared to those passengers connecting at Amsterdam Schiphol.

Timings for daily (except Saturday *) flights:

  • Inverness-Amsterdam dep 0620, arrive 0900.  And depart 1050, arrive 1330
  • Amsterdam-Inverness depart 0940, arrive 1020.  And depart 2105, arrive 2145.

(* Saturday timings differ slightly)

But the loser here is Aberdeen. KLM had intended to boost flight frequency this summer from four to five flights daily. But instead it has decided instead to switch this extra service to Inverness.

In recent months KLM has expanded by taking control of its own services which previously had been operated by other airlines on a code-share basis.

Last October KLM returned to Dublin after 50 years, while two weeks ago it restored service to London City following an eight year absence.

KLM has barely publicised its additional flights to Inverness. But they are now available for booking on its website.

klm.com