A TUI decision to cancel all of its chartered flights from Aberdeen for the remainder of the summer has been greeted with shock and disappointment by the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA).
Flights, which included those to destinations such as Majorca, Tenerife, Ibiza, and Reus in Spain as well Turkey and Rhodes, have all been cancelled until October.
The move comes against a backdrop of a wider reopening from the company.
Joanne Dooey, president of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association said: “This is simply appalling news for Scottish travellers and travel agents alike.
“There has been so much uncertainty about when people can travel from Scotland, and where they can travel to, for weeks.
“The omission of Spain from the ‘green light’ list of countries where Scots can travel without quarantine has led to insecurity for both holidaymakers and the travel trade.
“We have been warning for weeks about the possible loss of flight routes and the impact this will have on travellers and the Scottish economy, not just for this summer but potentially for years to come. It is questionable if, once we lose a flight route, we will ever see it return.”
She added: “The travels sector is a close knit community and we all feel for our friends and colleagues at TUI as we know this will have been an extremely difficult decision for them, however, we fear this may not be the last announcement of this kind in the sector.
“With any loss of flights like there is there is the risk of job losses too. “
The SPAA, founded in 1921, is the oldest organisation representing travel agents in the world.
It currently has 120 members and 92 associate members across the travel and transport industry.
