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| Flybe sells Gatwick take-off and landing slots to Easyjet | Flybe sells Gatwick take-off and landing slots to Easyjet |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Flybe has announced the sale of all its take-off and landing slots at London Gatwick airport to Easyjet for £20m. | Flybe has announced the sale of all its take-off and landing slots at London Gatwick airport to Easyjet for £20m. |
| The sale is part of a cost-cutting programme for the airline. About 600 workers have been made redundant and pilots have agreed a 5% pay cut. | The sale is part of a cost-cutting programme for the airline. About 600 workers have been made redundant and pilots have agreed a 5% pay cut. |
| Easyjet said it was looking at the possibility of maintaining some of Flybe's Inverness to Gatwick links. | Easyjet said it was looking at the possibility of maintaining some of Flybe's Inverness to Gatwick links. |
| Local MP Danny Alexander and Inverness Chamber of Commerce have voiced concerns. | Local MP Danny Alexander and Inverness Chamber of Commerce have voiced concerns. |
| Flybe serves a number of destinations directly from its Gatwick hub, including Belfast, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, Newcastle - and a three-times-a-day service with Inverness Airport. | Flybe serves a number of destinations directly from its Gatwick hub, including Belfast, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, Newcastle - and a three-times-a-day service with Inverness Airport. |
| Mr Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury and MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said: "These connections are absolutely vital for the Highland economy, and this announcement will clearly cause uncertainty for local businesses and the staff involved. | Mr Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury and MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said: "These connections are absolutely vital for the Highland economy, and this announcement will clearly cause uncertainty for local businesses and the staff involved. |
| "The fact that this change will not take effect until the end of March next year does give some time to resolve the issues." | "The fact that this change will not take effect until the end of March next year does give some time to resolve the issues." |
| Mr Alexander said he had made Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin aware of the importance of maintaining the link. | Mr Alexander said he had made Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin aware of the importance of maintaining the link. |
| Easyjet operates flights from Inverness to Gatwick and Luton. | Easyjet operates flights from Inverness to Gatwick and Luton. |
| A company spokesperson said it was looking into the possibility of maintaining some of Flybe's Highland links with London. | A company spokesperson said it was looking into the possibility of maintaining some of Flybe's Highland links with London. |
| The spokesperson said that Easyjet was already committed to serving Inverness and carried twice as many passengers as Flybe to London each year. | The spokesperson said that Easyjet was already committed to serving Inverness and carried twice as many passengers as Flybe to London each year. |
| Flybe said the deal was subject to shareholders' approval and that it would continue to operate all the slots until March 2014. | Flybe said the deal was subject to shareholders' approval and that it would continue to operate all the slots until March 2014. |
| Fraser Grieve, the Highlands and Islands manager for the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), expressed concern about the deal and called for urgent steps to safeguard the flights. | Fraser Grieve, the Highlands and Islands manager for the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), expressed concern about the deal and called for urgent steps to safeguard the flights. |
| He said: "Flybe's decision highlights the vulnerability that regional routes into London face as a result of a lack of capacity at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports and the financial value of these slots. | He said: "Flybe's decision highlights the vulnerability that regional routes into London face as a result of a lack of capacity at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports and the financial value of these slots. |
| "The air connections to and from Inverness are vital economic links and the move to Easyjet will likely result in both a loss of service and a lack of competition on the route." | "The air connections to and from Inverness are vital economic links and the move to Easyjet will likely result in both a loss of service and a lack of competition on the route." |
| He added: "The UK's leading international gateways must be able to accommodate the economic needs of the whole of the UK. | He added: "The UK's leading international gateways must be able to accommodate the economic needs of the whole of the UK. |
| "Oil and gas services and food and drink in the north are two of the UK's leading exports and they must be able to reach overseas markets. Tourists and investors must also be able to get to the north of Scotland." | "Oil and gas services and food and drink in the north are two of the UK's leading exports and they must be able to reach overseas markets. Tourists and investors must also be able to get to the north of Scotland." |
| Stuart Nicol, of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said he was worried Flybe's services would not be maintained. | Stuart Nicol, of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said he was worried Flybe's services would not be maintained. |
| Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said the airline had for many years been providing a "key link" to London and the south east of England for businesses across the Highlands. | |
| She added: "We will be engaging with politicians at both Holyrood and Westminster to ensure that this situation regarding air connectivity to and from the Highlands is addressed as a matter of urgency." | |
| The SNP reacted to comments made by Flybe about "punitive levels" of Air Passenger Duty meaning not one of its services to Gatwick had returned a profit over the last year. | |
| Inverness MSP Fergus Ewing described the sale of the slots as a "hammer blow". |