Transport / Loganair to reset priorities in favour of island communities

LOGANAIR has announced it will be taking “decisive action” to improve operational performance for island communities.

Following an initial review under the new leadership team, the airline said on Wednesday it had decided to address concerns raised by hundreds of customers over recent years.

The airline will axe a number of routes from May onwards in an attempt to stabilising the daily flying programme, and thereby reducing the number of delayed and cancelled flights.

From the 10 May, the routes from Aberdeen to Teesside; Aberdeen to Newcastle and Glasgow to Southampton will be removed from the airline’s network.

Other minor changes to the airline’s network will come into force at the end of the summer timetable such as the reduction of flights from Edinburgh to Southampton; Inverness to Manchester and Inverness to Stornoway.

Following post-Brexit regulations limiting UK airlines’ ability to recruit pilots from the EU, Loganair said it would also be addressing the training, benefits and work-life balance of Loganair pilots.

The airline’s new chief executive apologised again for recent for recent disruptions. “Since my first day as CEO of Loganair last month, I have been listening carefully to feedback from our loyal customers and hard-working crew, and I want to personally apologise to everyone who has been impacted by the unacceptable levels of disruption that have been experienced for over 18-months whilst the airline has been undertaking a re-fleeting programme.

“We are relentlessly focused on confidently serving our core markets and core customers, who must be able to book with certainty, and experience a stable and resilient flying programme.

“This is especially true for the Highlands and Islands communities who rely on Loganair for being so much more than an airline serving a leisure market.

“We have been falling short of the service levels expected of us by our loyal customers and amazing crew for over 18 months, and today we are making changes that once fully delivered throughout the summer will help restore the image and reputation we have fought so hard to generate over so many years as the trusted airline partner in our unique market.”