Scottish firms flying high overseas thanks to Flights for Business discount partnership
Flights for Business, a partnership between Scottish Development International (SDI) and British Airways, has helped deliver a raft of new overseas contracts for Scottish food and drink companies, Scotland’s international trade agency has claimed.
Since May 2009, more than 400 Scottish companies have taken advantage of SDI-facilitated BA flight offers to travel to prospective markets, including the current offer of a 15% discount on all classes and cabins of BA flights. The offer is open to small and medium-sized enterprises and aims to support trade development through a single-use discount voucher for up to nine employees from the UK to anywhere in the world. To date 400 companies have benefited from the tie-up.
Scott Kelman, commercial director of biscuit-maker Dean’s of Huntly, who travelled to the US on the scheme, said: “We were encouraged by SDI to take advantage of this offer, and as a result, we were able to [put] a strategy in place for developing sales in the US. One year later we now have an agreement with an exclusive importer which should lead to sales growth in the next few years.”
Pickle-maker Henshelwood’s Fine Foods of Rothesay was encouraged by the offer to visit New York, a trip which resulted in the appointment of a US distributor. The firm’s chief executive, Robert Henshelwood, said: “Without the support of SDI and BA, we would not have been able to afford [the trip] so this offer has been fundamental to our success in exporting in the US.”
Another beneficiary is Loch Fyne Oysters, whose sales director travelled to Hong Kong and Singapore on the discounted tickets, winning new business in various outlets.
Tony Baker, director of internationalisation, Scottish Development International, said: “The success stories coming out of this flights offer... shows the value of actually getting to market and making those face-to-face connections.”
The current offer follows the success of last year’s complimentary BA flights deal which helped many Scottish companies make exploratory trade visits overseas.
Enterprise Minister Jim Mather said: “Initiatives such as Flights for Business are an important part of this work and I welcome the success it has brought so far. I am sure the scheme will continue to deliver real results as part of extensive work under way across the public sector to nurture economic recovery in Scotland.”
Last year, SDI helped more than 900 companies enter new international markets.
For full News Story please see the Herald Scotland.