Eastern Airways Named Gold European Regional Airline of the Year
Eastern Airways has been awarded the prestigious Gold Airline of the Year award by the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) at its widely recognized industry awards ceremony in Barcelona.
The carrier was last night named Europe’s number one regional airline 2014/15 ahead of 51 other airline members at the annual event, which has been held since 1991 to recognize excellence and achievements of Europe’s regional carriers, and also forms part of the ERA’s general assembly.
The airline celebrates its 17th anniversary this year and is Europe’s leading provider of fixed wing air services for the oil and gas industry. It operates over 800 flights a week, has more flights from Aberdeen than any other carrier and previously gained the most prestigious gold award in this industry sector in 2006/7, following consecutive silver awards in 2003/4 and 2004/5.
Richard Lake, chief executive of Eastern Group, said: “It is a great honor to again win the prestigious gold award, which is testament to the efforts and professionalism of every member of the team at Eastern Airways. To be recognized by our peers in the industry is tremendous as regional aviation is one of the most challenging and competitive sectors in the world. We must also thank our customers and trade partners who have continually supported us throughout our many years of operation.”
“To be recognized by our peers in the industry is tremendous as regional aviation is one of the most challenging and competitive sectors in the world.”
The judging panel commended Eastern Airways for:
- 16 years of consistent profitability
- Winning further Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes in France
- Extending oil contracts
- Reacting swiftly to changing market conditions and seizing new commercial opportunities to expand its network of scheduled services
- Bringing new investment into the business
With its primary focus on business travel, the airline enhanced its comprehensive UK network this year with the introduction of new services. Further expansion also took place in France after being awarded a four year contract providing domestic flights between Lorient and Lyon. Steady fleet acquisition was required to meet the growth in oil and gas charters and ad-hoc charters.
Bristow Helicopters Limited (BHL) acquired a 60% interest in the airline in February 2014, following a strong relationship between the two companies dating back to 1999.