From the following Wednesday, 19 return flights between Inverness and Heathrow will be cancelled, confirmed bmi. The cancellations will continue until February 6.

The airline said it was following the same path adopted by a number of carriers to adjust the schedule in to lower demand over the winter season. bmi's cancellations will also have an impact on its services between Heathrow and Venice, Palma and Lyon.

Inverness Chamber of Commerce said that the alterations were a matter of worry and had hit at a very short notice.

Donald Shaw, president of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said, "It is indeed causing concern because this has come at short notice. These links with the main hub are essential, particularly for the Highlands. At the end of the day airlines are a business, but they must have some moral responsibility for the communities they serve".

Highlands and Islands Airports Limited said that other carriers make schedule adjustments on a regular basis.

The company said that in some cases, it could use smaller planes in response to lower passenger demand, but in others there was no option except cancellations.

"The latter has been the case on certain days on services between Heathrow and Inverness where there has been insufficient passenger demand to sustain the service on the specific dates affected", said a spokesman.

The spokesman further said, "Passengers affected by the changes have been notified and been offered either a full refund or alternative flights".