As global carriers ramp up capacity into Scotland and northern Europe, a boutique group of Highland hotels is quietly emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries. United Airlines, Lufthansa, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada and KLM are all strengthening their transatlantic and European networks into Scotland and nearby hubs, feeding visitor demand that is increasingly spilling north toward the North Coast 500 and the remote communities served by Highland Coast Hotels. Under the stewardship of executive chairman Kenny McMillan, the young hotel group is posting double-digit revenue growth, expanding its portfolio and investing in year-round jobs, positioning itself at the crossroads of aviation, tourism and community regeneration in the Scottish Highlands.

Scotland is entering a new phase of air connectivity as major carriers bet on sustained demand from North America and mainland Europe. United Airlines has outlined what it calls record-breaking summer transatlantic schedules, anchoring its Scottish strategy around Edinburgh with year-round flights to New York Newark and an extended near year-round link to Washington Dulles. The Edinburgh to Washington service, once purely seasonal, has been expanded into the winter months with only a brief pause at the start of the year, offering Scottish travelers and inbound visitors more flexibility to connect across the United States through United’s hub.

From 2026, United will also return to Glasgow with a daily summer service to Newark, restoring a high-profile route that had been absent since 2019. Operated by Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, the flight will run from early May to late September, opening up direct access between Scotland’s largest city and one of the busiest transatlantic gateways. Tourism and business leaders have hailed the move as a pivotal step in making western and northern Scotland more accessible to international visitors, many of whom continue their journey by road and rail deeper into the Highlands.

Across Europe, Lufthansa, Air Canada and Delta are likewise sustaining or rebuilding networks that funnel passengers into Scotland and northern UK gateways such as London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and major German and Canadian hubs. These routes are crucial for long-haul travelers originating in North America, Asia and the Middle East, who can now reach Inverness, the North Coast 500 or the Isle of Skye with fewer connections than ever before. At the same time, the expansion provides outbound Highlanders and Scots more straightforward access to global destinations, reinforcing a two-way traffic pattern that benefits both tourism and local communities.

KLM and British Airways Turn Inverness Into a Global Gateway

Nowhere is the transformation in connectivity more evident than at Inverness Airport, the gateway to the Highlands. Recent schedule data shows that overall seat capacity at Inverness is climbing back toward pre-pandemic record levels, with a projected 13 percent increase in the upcoming summer season compared with the previous year. Central to that growth are KLM and British Airways, both of which have steadily upgraded their operations to link the Highland capital with major international hubs.

KLM’s service between Inverness and Amsterdam has become a vital lifeline for the Highlands, allowing visitors from across Europe, North America and beyond to reach the region with a single connection. The Dutch carrier has been marking a decade of operations on the route while progressively upgauging aircraft, moving from smaller regional jets to larger Embraer types that add significant seat capacity. Most passengers use Amsterdam as a transfer point, effectively placing Inverness on the global map alongside far larger cities in KLM’s network.

British Airways is following a similar path from London Heathrow, where its Inverness service has grown from two daily flights to as many as three per day in peak seasons. This expansion has pushed Heathrow into the top spot for capacity to Inverness, underlining the importance of the Highland city as more than just a regional destination. The upgraded frequencies provide crucial links not only for tourists but also for local businesses, golf travelers heading to Dornoch and Brora, and international visitors who can now seamlessly connect from long-haul flights into the Highlands.

Combined, KLM and British Airways have effectively transformed Inverness into a mini-hub for Highlands tourism. Their schedules dovetail with domestic links and ground transport, encouraging travelers to treat the region not as an add-on to a city break, but as the primary focus of an entire trip. For hotel operators along the NC500, including Highland Coast Hotels, this steady and predictable flow of passengers is a foundation for ambitious long-term investment.

Highland Coast Hotels Posts Robust Growth Under Kenny McMillan

While airlines strengthen the aerial bridge into Scotland, Highland Coast Hotels is building the ground infrastructure that can turn increased arrivals into sustained local prosperity. Founded in 2021 and focused on properties along the North Coast 500 touring route, the group has reported a striking 34 percent increase in revenue for the year ending December 2024, with turnover rising from 6.7 million pounds in 2023 to 9 million pounds in 2024. Pre-tax losses have narrowed significantly, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation have swung from a loss to a profit when one-off costs are excluded.

Executive chairman Kenny McMillan, working alongside an experienced board and management team, has been closely associated with a strategy of targeted acquisitions, careful refurbishment and a pivot toward high-quality, experience-led hospitality. Properties such as the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch, the Royal Marine Hotel in Brora, the Tongue Hotel, Kylesku Hotel, Newton Lodge and Plockton Inn form a necklace of stops along the NC500. The group’s portfolio now stretches from the east coast golf heartlands to the wild Atlantic-facing shores, offering travelers a curated journey through some of Scotland’s most dramatic landscapes.

In 2024, Highland Coast Hotels acquired its first property within Inverness itself, Lochardil House, a Victorian mansion set in mature gardens in the city. The move was seen as both a commercial and strategic step, giving the group a foothold in the Highland capital that ties directly into growing air links. It also reflects McMillan’s focus on building a coherent network of stops that can collectively support multi-night itineraries, encouraging visitors flying in on United, Delta, Air Canada, Lufthansa, KLM or British Airways to spend longer in the region.

Despite broader headwinds in the hospitality sector, including higher wage costs, increased national insurance contributions and concerns about potential tourism levies, the group’s leadership maintains that investing into quality, service and local authenticity is the surest way to withstand economic volatility. By narrowing losses while expanding the estate, Highland Coast Hotels under McMillan is positioning itself as a bellwether for the wider Highland tourism economy.

Slow Tourism, NC500 and the New Highland Narrative

At the heart of Highland Coast Hotels’ strategy is a commitment to what investors describe as slow tourism. Rather than rushing through the Highlands on a whistle-stop road trip, guests are encouraged to linger, explore on foot, engage with local culture and travel beyond the major postcard-ready viewpoints. The North Coast 500 route, which has gained international attention in recent years, brought a surge of self-drive visitors, but not always with commensurate benefits for communities coping with pressure on infrastructure and seasonal employment.

McMillan and his team are intent on reframing this narrative. By upgrading historic inns, village hotels and coastal retreats, they aim to disperse visitor flows and extend stays, turning a single-night stop into two or three nights that support local restaurants, guides, boat trips and craft producers. The group’s properties are positioned in places that once struggled to capture overnight tourism spend, from the fishing village of Plockton to the far north at Tongue, and the west coast around Kylesku. Each hotel functions as an anchor point on the itinerary, encouraging deeper exploration of lesser-known corners of the Highlands.

This slow tourism approach dovetails neatly with shifting traveler preferences in the post-pandemic era. International visitors arriving on new or expanded routes operated by United, Delta, Air Canada, Lufthansa, KLM and British Airways are increasingly seeking immersive, nature-based experiences rather than short city breaks. The Highlands, with its blend of wild landscapes, heritage, whisky and contemporary Scottish cuisine, offers exactly that, and Highland Coast Hotels is marketing itself as a one-stop gateway to those experiences along the NC500 and beyond.

The strategy also aligns with broader environmental and community considerations. By encouraging longer stays and fewer individual journeys, slow tourism can help mitigate some of the pressures associated with high-volume, short-duration tourism. The group’s emphasis on locally sourced food, cultural programming and community partnerships is designed to ensure that the economic benefits of increased air connectivity translate into tangible gains for rural Highland communities.

Year-Round Jobs and Community Investment Across the Highlands

One of the most significant shifts under Kenny McMillan’s leadership has been the move toward year-round operations and employment. Historically, much of Highland tourism was intensely seasonal, with hotels and restaurants closing or reducing staff in winter. This created a cycle of instability for workers and limited the ability of communities to retain young people and skilled staff. Highland Coast Hotels has explicitly targeted this issue, keeping properties open throughout the year wherever possible and investing in permanent roles.

Since its inception, the group has created around 100 jobs across its portfolio, with a strong emphasis on local recruitment and training. By smoothing out the traditional peaks and troughs of Highland tourism, the company aims to provide more predictable incomes and career progression for chefs, front-of-house staff, managers and maintenance workers. This shift is particularly important in remote areas where alternative employment options can be scarce and where hospitality jobs can underpin wider community resilience.

Community investment is emerging as another core pillar of the group’s approach. Beyond employment, Highland Coast Hotels collaborates with local suppliers, from fishermen and farmers to distilleries and artisans, integrating their products into menus and guest experiences. Such partnerships not only enhance the authenticity of the visitor offer but also channel tourism revenue directly into local micro-economies. In some cases, hotels provide spaces for community events, cultural festivals and charity functions, reinforcing their role as social as well as economic hubs.

The focus on community mirrors a broader trend among tourism businesses in the Highlands, where stakeholders are increasingly conscious of balancing growth with social and environmental responsibilities. With airlines stimulating demand for more frequent visits from abroad, the challenge is to ensure that the influx supports long-term prosperity rather than short-term booms. McMillan’s leadership approach suggests that the group views its success as inseparable from the wellbeing of the communities in which it operates.

Infrastructure Upgrades and the Highland Travel Ecosystem

The story of Highland Coast Hotels and the airlines boosting access to Scotland is unfolding against a backdrop of significant infrastructure projects across the region. Road upgrades on key arteries such as the A9 between Perth and Inverness and ongoing work on the A96 corridor are intended to improve safety and reduce journey times for motorists, including those following the NC500. For international visitors arriving by air to Edinburgh, Glasgow or Inverness, improved roads translate into more reliable travel onward to Dornoch, Tongue, Kylesku and other remote destinations.

Rail improvements and coach services also play a growing role in the Highland travel ecosystem, particularly for visitors seeking lower-emission alternatives to self-drive trips. Some hoteliers along the NC500, including those within the Highland Coast portfolio, are working with tour operators and local authorities to encourage small-group travel and public transport where feasible. This is complemented by the airlines’ focus on feeding passengers into key Scottish gateways, creating a multimodal network that can move visitors efficiently without overwhelming fragile landscapes.

Within this ecosystem, Lochardil House in Inverness has taken on new strategic significance. Situated in the Highland capital, it provides a comfortable base for travelers arriving late on flights from Heathrow or Amsterdam, or preparing to return home after completing a circuit of the NC500. By integrating Inverness more firmly into its portfolio, Highland Coast Hotels is effectively aligning itself with airline schedules and surface transport patterns, reducing friction for guests who might otherwise be daunted by the logistics of exploring the far north.

As connectivity improves and visitor numbers rise, questions linger about capacity and sustainability in some of the most popular Highland hotspots. Hotel investments, such as those championed by McMillan, are one way of managing this growth by providing high-quality, well-managed accommodation options that can help distribute demand more evenly across the region and across the calendar year.

Airlines and Highland Coast Hotels: A Symbiotic Growth Story

The strengthening ties between major airlines and Highland tourism operators illustrate a symbiotic relationship that extends far beyond simple passenger numbers. United Airlines’ extended schedules from Edinburgh and its planned return to Glasgow, combined with the connectivity offered by Delta, Air Canada and Lufthansa into UK and European hubs, effectively shorten the distance between the Highlands and key source markets in North America and Europe. KLM and British Airways then provide the crucial final leg to Inverness, placing the Highlands on the same connectivity plane as more traditional city destinations.

For Highland Coast Hotels, this network effect creates both opportunities and responsibilities. Under Kenny McMillan’s leadership, the group is calibrating its growth to match rising demand, adding capacity in Inverness, refurbishing existing properties and exploring ways to enhance guest experiences that meet the expectations of long-haul travelers. Its double-digit revenue growth and improving profitability suggest that the model is gaining traction, supported by a clear brand narrative rooted in slow tourism, community benefit and year-round hospitality.

The interplay between sky and soil, jets and country inns, hints at a new chapter in the Highlands’ long tourism history. Rather than relying solely on familiar coach tours or domestic road trips, the region is now woven into global networks that include business travelers, affluent leisure visitors and adventure seekers from every continent. Airlines see the Highlands as a compelling draw that can help fill premium cabins and justify expanded schedules; hotels like those in the Highland Coast portfolio, in turn, depend on those flights to bring guests who are willing to travel far for authenticity, scenery and a sense of remoteness.

As the next wave of transatlantic expansions comes into effect and Inverness celebrates milestones with KLM and British Airways, the fortunes of Highland Coast Hotels will remain an instructive barometer of how well the Highlands harness this connectivity. If current trends continue, the combination of aviation investment and considered local leadership could see the region emerge not just as a bucket-list destination, but as a year-round, globally connected tourism powerhouse with the capacity to sustain its communities for decades to come.