Scottish regional carrier Loganair will add several new routes from Edinburgh in 2019.

The most important one for Scotland will be the first ever link between the capital and Islay Hebrides.

Flights start on March 31 using a 33-seat Saab 340 turbo-prop.  Initially there will be four services a week rising to daily by May.

The significance of the new route to Islay will be Loganair’s ability to offer travellers global connectivity via Edinburgh thanks to links forged with the likes of British Airways, Emirates and Qatar Airways.

It means easier access to/from Islay for global travellers. While visitors to Edinburgh (note that the capital gets very busy during the Festival) can now make side-trips to Islay.

Says Jonathan Hinkles, MD of Loganair, “This should be a tremendous boost to Islay’s burgeoning tourist industry. We’re also forecasting extra business uptake, acting as a convenient link to Edinburgh alongside significant volumes of inbound travel from customers eager to experience Islay’s distilleries, golfing attractions and new luxury hotels.”

Other developments include the introduction of year-round flights to Stavanger and Bergen in Norway and a seasonal link to Guernsey. These routes will be operated by 37-seat Embraer 135 jets.

loganair.co.uk