page_title: Dundee Airport
section_title: Flybe Controversy
hierarchical_section_title: Dundee Airport / Flybe Controversy
caption_attribution_description: English: Taxi way at Dundee - Flybe
context_page_description: Dundee Airport is located 3 km from the centre of Dundee, Scotland or, for navigation purposes, 0.5 NM south of the city. 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 and Carnoustie. During international competitions, the airport is often at its busiest with charter and private aircraft. There is also flights operated by Loganair - Scotland's Airline.
context_section_description: On 8 August 2008, HIAL and airport bosses announced that they were considering a direct air link to Amsterdam.  In late October 2008, an article was placed in the Evening Telegraph concerning the possibility of flights to and from Spain. The airport operator had also stated that the A318 was fully compatible for Dundee Airport and could be used to operate these flights.
  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.  Despite Flybe's decision to withdraw from Dundee, Loganair stated that it was still committed to Dundee Airport and may consider adding more flights in 2018.
  Loganair's franchise agreement with Flybe ended on 31 August 2017. Loganair became an independent airline operating in its own right on 1 September and experts said this would give Loganair more freedom to operate more flights, and speculated that Dundee would figure among these additional flights.
caption: Flybe
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