North-east holidaymakers’ plans are up in the air after VLM Airlines announced they were ending all services.
Travellers were left disappointed after a flight route between Aberdeen and Antwerp was suddenly axed yesterday.
The flight path was introduced by VLM Airlines in June, but has been cancelled just 88 days since the first flight on the route took off from Aberdeen Airport.
In a statement on VLM’s website the company confirmed they were going into liquidation.
The statement reads: “SHS Aviation B.V., the majority shareholder of the N.V. SHS Antwerp Aviation (VLM), today decided at an extraordinary general assembly to dissolve the Belgian airline and to liquidate it.
“Earlier this month it was announced that VLM would discontinue the connections to Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cologne-Bonn, Maribor, Munich and Rostock and that VLM would henceforth focus on business charter flights and the Antwerp-London City Airport and Antwerp-Zurich routes.
“Also the scheduled flights from Antwerp to London City and Zurich are now cancelled.”
Dave Short, who had flown out from Aberdeen yesterday, said he was “basically told to get my own way home.”
He said: “It cost me almost £600 to get home and I lost a day of my holiday.”
The Aberdeen to Antwerp route was aimed towards oil workers travelling to Antwerp, the world’s second largest petrochemicals hub.
However, the route did not prove to be viable bookings have been cancelled on the route.
A VLM spokesman said: “We only recently started the route and it was the developmental stage.
“Unfortunately, we have taken the decision to end the route as of August 31 and we have contacted a small number of passengers who have booked flights to give them refunds.”
Aberdeen Airport’s route development manager Lynn Harwood said: “VLM Airlines has withdrawn the Aberdeen to Antwerp service following a review of its wider European route network.
“Anyone scheduled to travel beyond the end date will be contacted directly by the airline for a refund.
“We are very disappointed to lose the Antwerp service but passengers should be aware that we are fully committed to strengthening our route network and will strive to bring alternative destinations to Aberdeen International Airport.”
If you do have a future booking with VLM contact your credit card company for a refund.
