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Dundee Airport () is an airport based in Dundee, Scotland. It lies on the shore of the Firth of Tay and overlooks the Tay Rail Bridge.
It is a popular transport hub for golf players, as it is the closest airport to the championship courses at St Andrews, Gleneagles Hotel and Carnoustie. During international competitions, the airport is often at its busiest with Air charter and private aircraft. There are also flights operated by Loganair.
The grass runway was replaced by a long Asphalt concrete runway in the 1970s, and extended to the current length of in the 1990s. The airport was granted "customs airport" status on 16 April 1982 and runway edge lights were added in 1983. The current airport terminal was opened in 1997 by the then EU transport commissioner Neil Kinnock.
During the 1980s Air Ecosse operated services to Aberdeen Airport, Carlisle, Manchester, and Esbjerg Airport using Short 330 and Short 360 aircraft. This included a 360 in the Royal Mail Special Services "Datapost" colour scheme.
Ramsay World Travel from Dundee also operated a weekly charter to Jersey in the summer months in association with Lewis's Holidays, and in 1996 they ran a series of weekly flights to Majorca using BAe 146 aircraft which had to land in Bournemouth/Southend to re-fuel.
Business Air and later British Midland Regional operated flights from Dundee to Manchester Airport in the 1990s, a route that was brought back by Eastern Airways for only a few months, in 2002.
After the departure of Business Air, the airport was left without any scheduled services for almost a year until April 1999 - 2007, when ScotAirways introduced flights to London City Airport.
ScotAirways then operated under the CityJet banner for Air France from 2007 to September 2009.
In September 2009 CityJet became a commercial brand within Air France-KLM. Flights were announced as CityJet and not Air France.
The Dundee to London City route was flown by Dornier 328 aircraft leased from ScotAirways, until January 2011 when ScotAirways near 12-year association with the route came to an end, as CityJet announced the route would be operated on a reduced frequency by its own Fokker 50 aircraft.CityJet Limited, (16 November 2010). "CityJet announces January changes to Dundee - London City route" – via YouTube. This change caused concern within the business community for the continued viability of the route. However following the purchase of ScotAirways by Loganair in July 2011, the Dornier 328 was reinstated on the London City route.
On 29 May 2007, services to Birmingham and Belfast City operated by FlyWhoosh, using ATR 42 aircraft, started. The company, which was effectively only a ticket agent, used the services of a Polish airline White Eagle Aviation (WEA), which based an aircraft at Dundee Airport. In December 2007 these services ceased, amid some confusion as to what exactly caused the termination of services.Mccartney, Brian (11 January 2008). "Airline Chief's Amazing Rant At Complaining Passenger".
On 3 March 2008, Loganair announced that it would recommence the routes that had been operated by FlyWhoosh in May 2008, under the new Flybe franchise. Three weekday return flights were introduced between Dundee and Birmingham, with one return flight on Sundays and a daily weekday return flight between Dundee and Belfast City Airport, with one return flight also operating on Sundays. The company used Saab 340 aircraft on these routes.
In October 2012, Loganair announced the closure of flights to Belfast City and Birmingham on behalf of Flybe, because of decline in passengers loads and high fuel costs as the reason for closure, leaving CityJet with its route to London-City as the only scheduled carrier in Dundee.
December 2013, CityJet announced it would be dropping the last remaining scheduled route from Dundee to London City Airport in March 2014, putting the airport's future in doubt.
January 2014, HIAL announced that Loganair with its Flybe franchise would take over from City Jet and commence twice-daily flights to London Stansted Airport, once the London City route had withdrawn in March 2014 by City Jet.
On 12 February 2007 it was announced that, from September 2007, the City Council would hand over the running of the airport to Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL). The takeover took place on 1 December 2007.
Any additional scheduled flights at the airport would be limited by runway length to regional aircraft. Larger aircraft used by low-cost airlines, such as Boeing 737s, require longer runways. The largest aircraft that can land at the airport are the BAe 146 and the Airbus A318.
In 2016, Flybe announced Dundee's first direct international flight to Amsterdam, which started on 23 May 2016 and was operated with a 78-seater Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. The initial 5-weekly return flight was funded through the regional connectivity fund, operating through the Department for Transport's public service obligation scheme. On 19 November, Flybe suspended the route as part of a review of the airline's operations at Dundee Airport. All passengers booked on the route were transported to Edinburgh Airport and rebooked on a flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam. The suspension was due to be lifted on 16 December; however, this did not materialise. It was announced on Friday 23 December 2016 that the flights to Amsterdam would be cut in 2017, as Flybe believed that the radar coverage was not adequate. Flybe stated that it would return to Dundee only when an improved radar system was installed. While it is unlikely that an improved Secondary Surveillance Radar system will be installed, newer lower-cost technologies such as Multilateration and ADS-B are being investigated. Many local people questioned Flybe's decision to withdraw the flights when it was reported that flights were fully booked up until February 2017.
| +Busiest routes to and from Dundee Airport in 2023 !Rank !Airport !Passengers !Passenger Change | |||
| 1 | Heathrow Airport | 28,211 | NEW |
| 2 | London City | 8,544 | 69.7% |
| 3 | Belfast City | 3,071 | 55.5% |
| 4 | Sumburgh Airport | 1,743 | 28.9% |
| 5 | Kirkwall Airport | 450 | NEW |
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