Continued funding for the Wick to Aberdeen air service
Scottish Ministers have today confirmed an additional funding contribution towards the continuation of the existing Wick to Aberdeen Public Service Obligation (PSO) route until 14 August 2026.
The contract to operate the air service was awarded by Highland Council under an emergency procurement exercise to Air Charter Scotland in December 2025, following the collapse of the previous operator.
Air Charter Scotland have been operating the Wick to Aberdeen air service from 14 January 2026 and have recently introduced an 18-seat Jetstream 32 aircraft to the route, expanding capacity for passengers.
Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie said:
I am pleased to confirm additional funding for the Wick to Aberdeen air service until 14 August 2026, providing important connectivity for businesses and communities across Caithness.
The Scottish Government fully recognises the economic and social importance of rural connectivity in Scotland. In December, I was pleased to reaffirm our continued support for the Wick to Aberdeen air service and this additional funding is further confirmation of that commitment.
It is vital that the Council continues to make every effort to increase use of the service further. The contract to operate the route was primarily designed to support business in the Caithness area and we want to see strong support from local business organisations translate into more passengers.
Leader of the Highland Council Raymond Bremner said:
I am delighted that Ministers have elected to continue funding this vital, lifeline air service for the full seven months. The demise of Eastern Airways and subsequent failure of the previous Wick-Aberdeen route resulted in a real blow to passenger confidence, and Air Charter Scotland have done a fantastic job in their first few weeks of operation to regain confidence and grow numbers on the route.
Extending the PSO to August will give the Council and Air Charter Scotland a real opportunity to promote and grow the route even further, especially with the introduction of additional capacity from 1 March 2026.
While welcome news, the Council still believes there is a requirement for lifeline air connectivity to the north of Scotland beyond August 2026. We have presented a Full Business Case to Transport Scotland laying out the key social and economic rationale for this and remain hopeful of a positive funding decision soon.
Background
- Transport Scotland are currently considering the business case from Highland Council on a future Wick to Aberdeen Public Service Obligation route and will confirm next steps in due course.