Loganair has outlined plans for a return to international flying outside of the UK and Ireland next year, as it continues to rebuild its schedules following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The carrier said that its “cautiously optimistic” schedules will see services from Edinburgh and Newcastle to Stavenger and Bergen in Norway resume next summer, alongside the reintroduction of flights between Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands and Bergen.
A new four-times-weekly route is set to be introduced between Teesside and Dublin starting on May 27, 2022, and Loganair plans to increase frequencies on its Aberdeen-Dublin service (which launches this week) up to nine flights per week as part of the summer 2022 schedules.
There will also be increased frequencies / capacity on several domestic services, as follows:
- Additional services during the peak summer from Manchester and Edinburgh to Cornwall Airport Newquay (increasing to seven and six flights each week respectively)
- A new one-stop, same-plane service linking Cornwall Airport Newquay with Inverness every Saturday
- The one-stop, same-plane service between Aberdeen-Newquay will be increased from five to six days per week (daily except Wednesdays) between May and September
- Isle of Man services will be flown by larger ATR72 aircraft, moving from 48 seats per flight today up to 72 seats
- Frequency of service between the Isle of Man and Manchester will increase to four flights each way per weekday
- Isle of Man-Liverpool will increase from two to three flights each way per weekday
- London Stansted services to the City of Derry will increase from 15 to 17 flights each week in the peak season
- A larger ATR72 aircraft will be deployed on the Liverpool-City of Derry route to provide more seats every day after a very strong first summer on the route this year
- Edinburgh-Cardiff flights will increase to six-times weekly (daily except Saturday)
- A second Glasgow to Sumburgh service will be introduced on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays
- A fourth flight will be added between Glasgow and Stornoway on Mondays and Fridays, strengthening connectivity between Glasgow and the Scottish islands
But flights to Donegal and Jersey are to cease at the end of the summer season, with Loganair stating that “Jersey has been disappointing this summer with poor customer demand making the route unviable”.
Tickets can now be booked for flights from March 27, 2022 up to mid-August 2022, with services beyond this becoming bookable around 11 months in advance.
Commenting on the news Kay Ryan, Loganair’s chief commercial officer, said:
“We’ve already taken great steps to rebuild our network after the pandemic, and we’re looking forward to consolidating this progress over the year ahead. We’re therefore increasing frequency on several routes and will be bringing back international flights for the first time in several months.
“Of course, it’s vital that the prudence and discipline which has helped us to successfully chart a course through the pandemic is maintained. We’ll only add flights and routes where we are wholly confident that customer demand will support such moves.
“Yet, after two years of scaling back services, we’re delighted to be able to look ahead to a busy summer across our network in 2022.”
