Flybe franchise carrier Loganair has commenced ticket sales for a new weekday service, operating from Den Helder to both Norwich and Manchester in the United Kingdom.

The flights to Norwich, which serves as East England’s offshore support hub, will operate on weekdays from March 4 2013. Passengers will be able to leave Den Helder at 2.30pm arriving in Norwich at 2.20pm local time. The service from Norwich departs at 10.20am, arriving into Den Helder 50 minutes later.

For passengers wishing to travel onwards to Manchester, the weekday flight will arrive in Manchester airport at 4pm after departing from Den Helder at 2.30pm, with the return service taking off from the northern city at 9.55am and arriving back in the Holland at 12.10pm local. Manchester Airport serves as Flybe’s regional network hub where passengers enjoy seamless connections to Aberdeen, Belfast City, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Inverness and the Isle of Man.

The new route will be Den Helder Airport’s first scheduled service and is expected to be popular with business passengers employed in the offshore oil and gas, maritime and horticultural sectors in Holland and the UK.

Fares to Norwich start from €99 one-way including all taxes and a free checked bag up to 20kgs in weight. Customers will also receive a generous 6kg cabin baggage allowance as well as a choice of complimentary on-board snacks and refreshments.

Loganair’s chief operating officer Phil Preston said: “We’re extremely happy to be once again extending our international network, launching a route which will be hugely attractive to those working in the oil and gas industries.

“The new links to Den-Helder will be extremely useful for passengers spread across the UK. With tickets now on sale and the first flight taking off on March 4, the new route will no doubt be warmly welcomed by the many companies working out of the Dutch coastal city.”

Commenting on the launch of services at Den-Helder, Airport Managing Director, Conny van den Hoff said: “Welcome to Den Helder Airport! Den Helder Airport has over the past years become one of the largest offshore heliports of North-West Europe. 95% of the flights operated from Den Helder Airport are helicopter flights, serving the offshore at the Dutch Continental Shelf.

“This first scheduled service of Den Helder Airport, gives a positive impulse to the development of Den Helder Airport and the economy of Den Helder and its region.”

Jaap Bond, Chair of the Province of North Holland said ”The Province of North Holland is happy with the new developments at Den Helder Airport. The connection Den Helder-Norwich-Manchester is promising because of the excellent location of Den Helder. Den Helder, as a new gateway for scheduled flights related to the offshore business offers magnificent opportunities for the future of this region.”

According to Thijs Pennink, Managing director of the Chamber of Commerce for Northwest-Holland, this new service is an important addition to the service of Den Helder Airport and the economy of the region. The offshore oil and gas, maritime and horticultural sectors are strong performers in the North-West of Holland. Linking these sectors to their counterparts in the East and North-West of England, with the service of Flybe, will create new business opportunities on both sides of the Nortsea.

For more information and bookings please visit www.flybe.com or call +31 (0)35 69 29 494