Loganair has announced plans to ramp up its flights to and from the Isle of Man, increasing its schedules by 70 per cent and adding three destinations to the current network.
The carrier said that it had “already seen a marked increase in bookings on Isle of Man flights as customers plan ahead for the summer”, as restrictions on travel to and from the island “are progressively eased”.
As a result Loganair will increase schedules to offer 44 flights per week by the end of July, including the restoration of flights between Birmingham and the British Crown Dependency for the first time since the collapse of Flybe in March 2020.
The airline’s Isle of Man-London route moved from London City to Heathrow late last year, and it will now offer a twice daily weekday service (except Tuesday in July), as well as Sunday flights from July 5.
Loganair said that the move would double the Isle of Man’s frequency to Heathrow, “and ensures that the widest range of onward connections are available via Loganair’s partnership with British Airways”.
Flights to Edinburgh will resume on July 5, with a thrice weekly service (Monday, Friday and Sunday), and “further increases planned later in the season”.
Service to Manchester will continue at daily for now, with the carrier opting not to increase flights “for the time being”, stating that “A significant proportion of customers on the Manchester route were taking onward connections and Loganair plans to progressively increase the service – initially to two flights each way per day before expanding to four by Summer 2022 – as international travel resumes after the pandemic”.
Finally Loganair will operate weekly Saturday flights between the Isle of Man and Jersey from July 3. The carrier said that “Jersey has recently updated its travel advice for incoming travellers – with the Isle of Man classified in the ‘green’ category for visitors – and with severe restrictions remaining on international travel, Loganair believes that the Channel Island link will prove popular this summer”.
Commenting on the expansion, Loganair’s chief commercial officer Kay Ryan said:
“We’re delighted to be building upon the record of service that Loganair has established in the Isle of Man during the pandemic through this significant increase in flights now that travel restrictions have started to ease.
“This is one of several steps to re-build the Isle of Man’s air services to full strength, which we’re committed to taking over the coming weeks and months as we hopefully leave the Covid-19 pandemic behind us.
“Loganair’s commitment to serving island communities – honed over nearly 60 years of flying in Scotland – coupled to our locally-based team and our wide range of partnerships with international airlines – mean that we genuinely can be the local airline with a global reach.”
