Category Archives: Loganair

Loganair bolsters Orkney schedule welcoming first ever London service

Loganair has announced expansion plans from its Orkney base as part of its summer 2023 schedule, with a new route to London among updates to links from the island.

The airline’s summer schedule will also see Edinburgh schedules restored to pre-pandemic levels, while its service to one of the UK’s smallest airports – Fair Isle, run by the National Trust for Scotland – will be re-established for the first time since March 2019, and a new same-flight service will see an international connection with Bergen.

Commencing on April 4, 2023, the new service to London City will operate twice weekly on a Tuesday and Friday, providing customers in Orkney with easy access to short breaks or longer stays in the bustling city of London for the first time ever.

The new same-flight service stops over in Dundee en route, however passengers are not required to leave the plane, before landing in London City Airport. Just six miles from central London and three miles from Canary Wharf, London City Airport is thought to be the easiest and most accessible way to travel to London. The three-and-a-half-hour service also provides enhanced connectivity encouraging tourists to visit Orkney.

Additionally, as part of the airline’s summer 2023 plans, Orkney will see its service to Edinburgh restored to pre-pandemic levels with three flights per day including an early morning service departing from Kirkwall Airport at 07:30. The service, which lands in Edinburgh at 08:40, brings enhanced international connecting opportunities from Edinburgh Airport. Meanwhile customers travelling for business or leisure will be able to spend the day in the Scottish capital before travelling home on the evening service, departing from Edinburgh at 18:15. The airline has also announced that its larger 48 seat ATR 42 aircraft will now service the route, increasing capacity from 34 seats on the previous Saab 340. Fares start at £55 one way with ADS discount and are inclusive of 15kg luggage.

The airline will also reconnect Orkney with the Fair Isle with a twice weekly service. The island’s only tourist accommodation, Fair Isle Bird Observatory which faced a devastating fire in March 2019, is set to reopen to welcome tourists from next year and as such, Loganair has reinstated its service. Operating on a Monday and Friday, the route also provides same-day connections from Edinburgh and Aberdeen from May 2023.

Orkney’s international weekly service to Bergen will also recommence as part of summer 2023 plans, with a new same-flight service to Norway’s capital. Commencing from 13 May until 26 August, the Saturday service will stop in Sumburgh en route to Bergen, however passengers are not required to leave the plane.

Top Copyright Photo: Loganair ATR 42-500 G-LMRA (msn 490) LCY (Richard Vandervord). Image: 952530.

Loganair aircraft photo gallery:

Loganair’s owners put the Scottish airline up for sale, increases flights for next summer

Loganair’s Scottish owners, namely Stephen and Peter Bond, are getting out of the airline buesiness.

The brothers have put the airline up for sale.

Arrowpoint Advisory will handle all inquiries.

In other news, Loganair is increasing its schedule for summer 2023 with this announcement:

Loganair, has increased its flight schedule for summer 2023, announcing more services across key regional routes as it responds to growing demand from leisure and business travellers.

Loganair’s summer 2023 schedule will see additional flights from Edinburgh to Southampton, Exeter and Bergen, Norway, as well as an extra daily service between Glasgow and Southampton.

Commencing from Monday, June 19, 2023, tickets for the new timetable are on sale from October 5.

Due to popular demand, Loganair is adding a fifth daily flight on both its Edinburgh and Glasgow services to and from Southampton, increasing interconnectivity for businesses across the UK and offering more flexibility for leisure travellers. Flights are timed to plug a gap in the schedule, allowing customers to arrive in the Scottish capital early while a new evening flight has been added for a later departure to and from Glasgow.

Loganair’s international services between Scotland’s capital and the capital of Fjord Norway are also set to increase next year with four flights per week featuring in the summer 2023 schedule. The airline recommenced flights from Edinburgh to Bergen and Stavanger earlier this year following initial popularity in 2019, and due to significant interest in the route for both business and leisure passengers, additional flight options will be available for Summer 2023. Fares start from £103.

Loganair is also set to operate a double daily service between Edinburgh and Exeter, up from 6 flights per week this summer, with fares competitively priced from £79.

Top Copyright Photo: Loganair SAAB 340B G-LGNK (msn 185) MAN (Brian Worthington). Image: 959051.

Loganair aircraft photo gallery:

 

Loganair increases its flights for the summer 2023 schedule

 

Loganair made this announcement:

Loganair, has increased its flight schedule for summer 2023, announcing more services across key regional routes as it responds to growing demand from leisure and business travellers.

Loganair’s summer 2023 schedule will see additional flights from Edinburgh to Southampton, Exeter and Bergen, Norway, as well as an extra daily service between Glasgow and Southampton.

Due to popular demand, Loganair is adding a fifth daily flight on both its Edinburgh and Glasgow services to and from Southampton, increasing interconnectivity for businesses across the UK and offering more flexibility for leisure travellers. Flights are timed to plug a gap in the schedule, allowing customers to arrive in the Scottish capital early while a new evening flight has been added for a later departure to and from Glasgow.

Loganair’s international services between Scotland’s capital and the capital of Fjord Norway are also set to increase next year with four flights per week featuring in the summer 2023 schedule. The airline recommenced flights from Edinburgh to Bergen and Stavanger earlier this year following initial popularity in 2019, and due to significant interest in the route for both business and leisure passengers, additional flight options will be available for Summer 2023.

Loganair is also set to operate a double daily service between Edinburgh and Exeter, up from 6 flights per week this summer

Top Copyright Photo: Loganair Embraer ERJ 145EU (EMB-145EU) G-SAJG (msn 145126) MAN (Brian Worthington). Image: 959050.

Loganair aircraft photo gallery:

Loganair suspends Cornwall Airport Newquay operations this winter

Loganair has announced that it will suspend operations at Cornwall Airport Newquay this winter.

Daily services to Manchester and onwards to Aberdeen, together with nonstop flights to Edinburgh and Newcastle, will be completely suspended between November 2022 and March 2023.   In all, almost 300 flights scheduled to Newquay over the coming winter season have been withdrawn from the airline’s schedule.

In a further blow to Cornwall’s connectivity, summer routes linking Newquay with Teesside and onwards to Inverness will not return in 2023, and planned growth on other routes is to be redirected to other UK airports.

Loganair aircraft photo gallery:

Loganair to be featured in a new ten-part BBC series

Loganair has made this announcement:

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens in an airline beyond take-offs and landings, a new ten-part BBC series launching next Monday will offer an exclusive insight into the lives of the younger members of the team at Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline.

Loganair provided all-areas access to camera crews from Mentorn Scotland over several months – filming from as far afield as Shetland and the Outer Hebrides to London Heathrow, as 11 of the airline’s team, ranging from Captain to Aircraft Engineer, balanced their personal lives with the busiest summer at work they’ve faced to date.

It’s far reaching, with the UK’s first commercial pilot living with HIV attempting to update aviation legislation to achieve his dream, while one cabin crew member seeks advice from her best friend as she strives to become a pilot. The show also follows the UK’s youngest captain from Edinburgh as he juggles life in the air with his love of street performing and his long-distance relationship in Shetland, and an engineer who faces her biggest challenge yet as she converts a plane into an air ambulance in time for a patient to be transported the following morning.

The series also captures the close friendships of those at Loganair as it shows best mates from Manchester and Mauritius settling into their new lives as pilots in Aberdeen, and a special family moment as one pilot surprises his mum with a flight to an island to thank her for her support throughout his career – the first time she’s ever been on a commercial flight with her son flying the plane.

The first episode of Sky High Club lines up for take-off on BBC Scotland at 22:30 on Monday 15 August, with a second instalment on Wednesday 17 August. BBC Three launches the series nationally from 20:00 on Thursday 18 August with two back-to-back episodes.

A “series drop” of the entire ten episodes will be available through the BBC iPlayer from Monday 15 August.

Jonathan Hinkles, CEO of Loganair, said:

“We are all incredibly proud of those who participated in Sky High Club and everyone in the wider team who made it possible.

During a busy summer, when the entire aviation industry was faced with changing covid restrictions and huge challenges, it was a daunting prospect to invite a TV crew behind the scenes of our airline.  For this to work in the best possible way, we gave the camera crews full access to behind-the-scenes life at Loganair, and I’m truly grateful to the stars of the show for volunteering to share their personal and truly inspiring stories as part of the journey.

It is our hope that it provides  fantastic encouragement and insight for those contemplating a career in aviation – whether in the air or on the ground – and that we are able to continue welcoming a diverse range of new recruits into the Loganair family.”

 

Sky High Club, produced by Mentorn Scotland, is the result of a commission from a creative partnership of BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Screen Scotland. The scheme invited local Scottish Independent production companies to pitch innovative, factual entertainment format ideas that reflect the life experiences young people, with the promise of a guaranteed series commission.

The BBC made this announcement:

It’s take-off for a 10-part series that tells the stories of the young crew members of the UK’s largest regional airline. This opening episode introduces the Loganair team including pilots and cabin crew, who are buckling their belts for journeys across Scotland and beyond in their busiest summer yet.

Robbie is the youngest pilot to become a captain in the UK. Now 25, he has the dream job, and Kirsten, his dream girl – but there’s one small problem: he lives in Edinburgh and she lives on the remote island of Shetland as part of the customer service team.

Luckily for him, crew members and good pals Shannon and Karolina are on hand to organise a team day out, and offer some solid advice on long-distance relationships.

Moroccan-born Omar has moved from the Canary Islands to start a new life in Scotland. He’s training to become a member of the cabin crew, and having made the big move to Aberdeen for a career with the airline, the pressure’s on to pass gruelling exams or risk having to take off again to another location.

Sky High Club is produced by Mentorn Scotland. The commission came from a creative partnership of BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Screen Scotland. The scheme invited local Scottish Independent production companies to pitch innovative, factual entertainment format ideas that reflect the life experiences young people, with the promise of a guaranteed series commission.

Loganair aircraft photo gallery:

Loganair to link Isle of Man with both London Heathrow and London City Airports

Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, has announced that it will launch services from the Isle of Man to both London City and London Heathrow airports from next month, marking a major step forward for the Isle of Man’s post-pandemic air connectivity.

New services will commence from the Isle of Man to London City from April 19, initially offering a daily flight (except Saturdays) before gearing up to two flights each weekday from Tuesday, May 3.    From that date, the new schedule of morning and evening flights will offer a day-return capability in each direction, plus a flight in each direction on Sunday evenings.

Services linking the Isle of Man with London Heathrow will commence from Tuesday May 3, with a daily service designed to offer excellent connections with Loganair’s major partner airlines including British Airways to a wide range of destinations worldwide, including key points in Europe, North America and South Africa.

Both the London City and Heathrow routes will be flown under Loganair’s codeshare agreement with British Airways, and tickets for the new flights will go on sale next week.

The new services will be flown by Loganair’s Isle of Man-based team of pilots, cabin crew and engineers.   The airline now has over 30 staff based at Ronaldsway who also support existing Loganair routes to Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.

Further Isle of Man-based pilots and cabin crew have joined Loganair this week – many formerly employed by Flybe and Stobart Air before the collapse of both airlines – to commence their training onto the 72-seat ATR 72-600 aircraft deployed by Loganair on its IOM routes.  These are the most environmentally efficient regional aircraft, combining best-in-class fuel burn and carbon emissions performance with excellent on-board comfort levels for customers.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ-DccGXp9U&w=560&h=315%5D

Regional connectivity, and regular, reliable connections to the heart of London has never been more important, and we look forward to working with partners to both promote the service to businesses and to passengers who are planning their next staycation.’

Loganair to add more flights from Aberdeen

Loganair has made this announcement:

On the back of its 60th anniversary celebrations last week, Scotland’s airline Loganair has announced an expansion at Aberdeen International Airport with the introduction of a new route to Oslo and the creation of over 20 new jobs.

The year-round link between Aberdeen and the Norwegian capital will be restored by Loganair this summer, commencing from June 13, 2022. It will fly up to six weekly flights, with a daily service Sunday – Friday, in each direction with its 49-seat Embraer 145 Regional Jet aircraft.

Weekday flights will leave Aberdeen at 08:30, arriving in Oslo at 11:05 local time.    Westbound flights will leave Oslo at 11:40 local time and arrive in Aberdeen at 12:20.    Sunday flights will depart Aberdeen at the later time of 13:20 and leave Oslo at 16:30 local time, enabling both leisure and business travellers to make the most of their weekend.

Loganair is the largest airline operator at Aberdeen International Airport and with today’s announcement, it will serve no fewer than 14 destinations from its Aberdeen hub, while it expects to add more as demand for air travel continues to recover from the pandemic. The airline’s extensive scheduled service network at Aberdeen accompanies a range of contract operations for major customers in the oil & gas and logistics sectors.

To support this summer’s expansion and its emergence from the pandemic, Loganair has recruited more pilots, cabin crew and engineers to work at its Aberdeen base. It directly employs over 120 staff at the airport and supports a further 100 indirect jobs.

The training program for the new recruits is well under way, welcoming more than 20 new pilots and cabin crew to Loganair’s operation – many of whom were formerly employed at Aberdeen by Flybe prior to that airline’s collapse nearly two years ago.

British Airways and Loganair expand their codeshare, Loganair celebrates 60 years

Loganair de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter G-BVVK (msn 666) BRR (Wingnut). Image: 956641.

British Airways and Loganair have today announced a major expansion of their codeshare agreement, offering more choice and connectivity for customers traveling across the UK.

The expansion to 18 new routes will now give British Airways’ customers access to 38 of Loganair’s UK routes, meaning that customers can book onward connections from destinations across the airline’s route network, or point to point travel in the UK more easily through British Airways’ website.

Routes now available to book include:

  • Aberdeen to Belfast City, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, and Southampton
  • City of Derry to London and Liverpool
  • Cornwall Airport Newquay to Manchester
  • Exeter to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle
  • Isle of Man to Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester
  • Inverness to Birmingham
  • Norwich to Aberdeen and Edinburgh
  • Teesside to Southampton

British Airways’ customers traveling from Aberdeen or the Isle of Man to Manchester will also now be able to connect onto British Airways’ code share flights on other carriers, including oneworld partners, from the north-west hub. Destinations include New York, Barbados and Orlando, allowing customers to book a single ticket with assured connections.

The news of a codeshare expansion between the two carriers comes as Loganair celebrates its 60th birthday, making it the oldest UK airline still operating under its original name.

Loganair’s history:

Our journey through the years…

On the 1st of February, we marked our 60th anniversary! In 1962, we had just one aircraft – now we have more than 40, going to destinations across Europe, Scandinavia and the British Isles. Our experience is long and our expertise outstanding, so you can expect only the friendliest and most professional service on every journey you make with us. Keep on reading to find out more about our journey!

 

 

1962

Loganair’s founder Willie Logan, owner of a construction company, bought air taxi firm Capital Services which he had used to travel the country between building sites. Following the takeover, the renamed Loganair was based in Renfrew with a Piper Aztec as the sole aircraft.

1963

In October, Loganair’s first scheduled flight took off between Dundee and Turnhouse Airport, Edinburgh, to coincide with the requirements of contractors who were working on the Tay Road Bridge. Another service was also set up for the business personnel travelling between the two cities, on an on-demand basis.

1964

Loganair won the contract to deliver newspapers to Stornoway. The Piper Aztec pilot would help unload the papers and reload the aircraft with freight for the return leg, mainly Harris Tweed.

1967

Loganair commenced the Orkney Inter Isles service which connected mainland Kirkwall to the smaller islands. In the same year, a supplementary air ambulance contract was also won.

The Britten Norman Islander aircraft, the latest version of which still operates the Inter-Isles service, was to be key in the Loganair ambulance operation, however the first ambulance flight was operated by Piper Aztec.

1968

In October the capital share of Loganair was acquired by the National Commercial Bank of Scotland, leading to the introduction of mobile banks for islanders on Lewis.

1976

A new airstrip was built on Fair Isle to replace an old strip from World War 2. Loganair flew Shetland ponies to Fair Isle after 80 years of their absence on the island.

1980

Loganair introduced two Embraer 110 aircraft to the fleet. The increased speed, range and passenger comfort allowed Loganair to serve off shore oil companies.

1983

In December, Loganair was acquired by British Midland Airways. Following the partnership, the airline’s route map expanded throughout Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.

1994

Loganair became a British Airways franchise partner. The agreement between the two airlines meant the airline would operate on behalf of British Airways on Loganair’s highland routes and British Airways routes Glasgow to Aberdeen, Glasgow to Sumburgh via Inverness and Kirkwall and Glasgow to Belfast.

1997

Loganair was part of a management buyout led by Chairman Scott Grier. Five Britten- Norman Islanders operated the Shetland and the Orkney Inter-Isle services as Loganair routes. The Twin Otter was introduced on services from Glasgow to Tiree, Barra and Campbeltown.

2004

By this time, Loganair had acquired all the Scottish routes previously operated by British Airways CitiExpress. This meant that Loganair now operated services between; Glasgow – Stornoway, Glasgow – Benbecula, Aberdeen – Sumburgh and Aberdeen – Kirkwall.

2008

The British Airways franchise agreement came to an end and Loganair took this opportunity to enter into a new franchise agreement with Flybe. The long association with British Airways continued though via a codeshare arrangement, with Loganair’s flights marketed as connecting BA flights to London and beyond.

2011

In July, Loganair acquired Cambridge-based Suckling Airways, bringing Dornier 328 aircraft into its fleet. The Dorniers gave operational and commercial options that weren’t available on Saab aircraft due to superior speed and range.

2017

Time for Loganair to fly once again under its own name as the franchise agreement with Flybe ended. The airline started flying “solo” from 1st September 2017. This was the first time in 25 years that Loganair had flown under its own brand, requiring a brand re-launch, new website and reservations systems.

A new identity was inspired by the Scottish tartan pattern that flew with British Airways 20 years ago and the Loganair Tartan is registered as number 11744 in the Scottish Register of Tartans.

2019

The route network has grown with now over 70 routes to and from; Scotland, England, the Channel Islands, Belgium, Isle of Man, Norway, Ireland, Denmark and Germany. New interline arrangements have been agreed with some of the world’s leading airlines to further enhance connectivity for our customers.

Loganair has also introduced Embraer jets to the fleet to enhance the destination offering and improve customer experience.

In 2019, Loganair took the title of SPAA Domestic Airline of the year, voted for by the Scottish Travel Industry.

2020

After the demise of Flybe in March 2020, Loganair took the opportunity to start operating some of Flybe’s former routes expanding the route network and working with new airports such as Newquay, Southampton, Birmingham, Exeter and Belfast City.

This increase in destinations and routes mean that Loganair is now the largest operator of domestic routes in the Uk and also the largest operator at Aberdeen Airport.

A fleet renewal program was put in place replacing Loganair’s Dornier 328’s with ATR 42’s and 72’s increasing the capacity on many of Loganair’s core routes.

2022

Loganair celebrates its 60th anniversary!

In its 60 years, Loganair has grown to be the largest regional airline in the UK, as well as serving multiple international destinations including Denmark and Norway. To mark the occasion, we also strengthened our codeshare relationship with British Airways, enhancing connectivity in the UK and around the world.

Did you know that Loganair is the longest established airline in the UK operating under its original name?

 

Video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoL-Ii_ftSc&w=560&h=315%5D

Top Copyright Photo: Landing on the beach at Barra at low tide: Loganair de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter G-BVVK (msn 666) BRR (Wingnut). Image: 956641.

Loganair aircraft slide show:

Loganair aircraft photo gallery:

NAC delivers one ATR 72-600 to Loganair on lease, its 9th ATR

Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) has announced it has delivered one ATR 72-600, msn 1257, to Loganair on a long-term operating lease.

The 72-seat ATR, which will be registered G-LMTC and named “Clan Cairns” in service with Loganair, will become the airline’s ninth ATR and form part of its continuing fleet renewal program.

Loganair aircraft slide show:

Loganair aircraft photo gallery:

 

Loganair increases Isle of Man services

Loganair has announced its Summer 2021 schedule from the Isle of Man – stepping up services on existing routes, restoring routes suspended during the pandemic and adding three completely new ones.

The airline – which has maintained the Isle of Man’s only passenger air services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic – is responding to demands from customers keen to plan and book ahead for summer travel, in anticipation of COVID-19 vaccines enabling air travel to take place safely and widely once again.

Services to London Heathrow, which started on December 1, 202 as Loganair’s first permanently scheduled service to the UK’s biggest airport after it secured runway slots for the IOM, will increase to double daily flights from March 28, 2021.

Flights to Manchester will increase to two daily from April 1, 2021 and from July 1, 2021 services to Manchester and Liverpool will have a further increase in flight frequency, with Manchester stepping up to four per day and Liverpool to three per day.

Birmingham services, cancelled last year following the demise of previous operator Flybe, will re-start on April 1, 2021 with a four- times a week service which then increases to daily from  May 22, 2021.    Edinburgh services will re-start with three flights each week from April, building to four from May 25, 2021.

New routes from the Isle of Man are to Southampton, with three fights a week from May 26 – ideal for onward connections to the Channel Islands with Loganair’s partner airline Blue Islands, and for those meeting cruise sailings; to Belfast City four times a week from April 1 increasing to six times weekly from May 24; and a seasonal non-stop service linking the Isle of Man with Jersey, flying every Saturday from May 22 until late September.

Loganair is also planning to increase the numbers of seats available across all routes by introducing larger ATR 72 turboprop aircraft, which can carry up to 70 people per flight.  The airline, now the UK’s largest regional operator, employs pilots and cabin crew based in the Isle of Man, and contracts the maintenance of its aircraft to local company M&A Technical Services, which is based at Ronaldsway Airport.

Loganair aircraft photo gallery:

Loganair aircraft slide show: