Highland Airways said translating its website into Welsh and Scottish Gaelic would allow more customers to book flights online using their own language.

Announcing the new highlandairways.co.uk website, commercial director Basil O'Fee said: "We service business and leisure customers on the fringes of Great Britain, where our indigenous languages still thrive.

"Translating our website into both Scottish Gaelic and Welsh was therefore a natural decision for us.

"We know that everyone appreciates being able to transact business in their own mother tongue, and we are delighted to extend this courtesy to our customers in Wales and Scotland."

It has taken six months to translate more than 40,000 words on 100 different pages of the website.

The Inverness-based airline runs services between Inverness, Stornoway and Benbecula, as well as between Cardiff and Anglesey.

During his speech Mr O'Fee also looked forward to the first anniversary of the company's service between Cardiff and Anglesey.
Since Highland Airways collaborated with Cardiff Airport, Anglesey Council and VisitWales for the launch last May 2007 flights have been running at more than 80 per cent capacity, exceeding all expectations.

Mr O'Fee added: "Around 14,000 passengers will use this route in the first full year, almost 5,000 more than we expected. This service has greatly enhanced travel options within Wales demonstrating how potent aviation can be in transforming connectivity.

"Already some are considering whether we should increase the number of flights or use larger aircraft, which is a fantastic position to be in."