Large multinational co-operations usually have laid down plans to connect their offices and staff. Google has buses, Goldmansachs has ferries and now, AstraZeneca plans to go a notch higher and introduce scheduled flights between its offices in Cambridge and Gothenburg in Europe. A 32 seat service which will be run by Sun air will depart from Cambridge airport to Sweden’s Land Vetter airport four times a week. This will be the only scheduled flight out of Cambridge airport which is majorly used as a base for aircraft maintenance.
AstraZeneca will pay for 20 seats in each of the four flights and the other 12 will be left open to the public. These seats, AstraZeneca hopes will be taken up by other scientists in Cambridge. AstraZeneca has additionally struck a pact with Land Vetter airport so that its staff is given access to the business lounge although the flight would be of an economy class nature.
The drug maker currently has approximately 1000 staff in Cambridge which it projects will grow to about 2500 by 2016, another 2400 staff are currently based in Gothenburg. The new service is expected to cut down on time taken to Stansted airport from Cambridge and check in time while catching a regular flight. Cambridge airport, is just a 15 minute drive from the city centre and passengers with hand luggage need only 20 minutes to check in.
A dedicated flight path between the two airports will drive AstraZeneca’s new strategy which it dubs “open innovation”. It hopes increased interactions between scientists will spark new research ideas.
The service will boost passenger numbers for Cambridge airport which currently just handles chartered flights by tour operators and private jets serving a racecourse nearby.