LM LOG AOC # 2105 Frequent-flyer program Avios Founded 1962 Hub Glasgow Airport | LOG LOGAN Hubs Glasgow Airport Headquarters Paisley, United Kingdom Fleet size 29 | |
Focus cities Aberdeen Airport
Campbeltown Airport
Dundee Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Inverness Airport
Kirkwall Airport
Norwich Airport
Stornoway Airport
Sumburgh Airport Parent organization Airline Investments Limited | ||
Loganair Limited is a Scottish regional airline founded in 1962, with its registered office on the grounds of Glasgow Airport in Paisley, Renfrewshire. Its tag line is Scotland's Airline.
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Loganair operates scheduled services under a Flybe franchise in mainland Scotland and Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles until August 2017, when it will change to independent operations. It also provides services for the Scottish Air Ambulance Service and night mail services on behalf of Royal Mail. In addition to its main base at Glasgow, the airline has hubs at Edinburgh Airport, Inverness Airport, Dundee Airport and Aberdeen Airport. The company holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence. It is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.
Early years
Loganair was established on 1 February 1962 by the Logan Construction Company Ltd, operating as its air charter arm with a Piper PA-23 Aztec based at Edinburgh.
In 1967 Loganair took delivery of three Britten-Norman Islander twin-engine eight-seat light commuter airliners and began regular flights between the Orkney islands, and started operating in Shetland in 1970. In 1966, after Renfrew Airport closed, the airline established its head office at Glasgow Airport. This aspect of Loganair's operations ceased on 31 March 2006 when the new contract for air ambulance work was awarded to Gama Aviation.
Between 1968 and 1983 the company was owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Towards the end of this period, Loganair bought Short 360 and Fokker F27 Friendship aircraft. The company brought jet aircraft into the fleet with two British Aerospace 146es. In December 1983 it became a subsidiary of the Airlines of Britain Group. Further aircraft were added to the fleet: BAe Jetstream 31, BAe Jetstream 41, and BAe ATP aircraft. In the late 1980s Loganair was the fastest growing scheduled operator at Manchester airport, and, in terms of number of flights, was the airport's second busiest carrier.
After a restructure of British Midland Group in 1994, Loganair's routes outside Scotland and the aircraft used operate them were transferred to Manx Airlines. This consolidation of services led to the formation of a new airline, British Regional Airline (BRA Ltd). In 1997, with Loganair now consisting of six aircraft (one de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and five Britten Norman Islanders) and 44 staff, a management buy-out occurred.
Operations as Flybe franchisee
In June 2005, Loganair was awarded a contract from the Irish Government to operate a daily return service from Knock, County Mayo to Dublin. This public service obligation (PSO) route operated for a period of three years as British Airways, with effect from 22 July 2005. The operation ceased in July 2008, the contract having been lost to Aer Arann. The airline also bought routes from Citiexpress in March 2004. It flew BA's BAe ATPs on them until 28 May 2005, when further Saab 340 aircraft were purchased to replace them.
Until October 2008 Loganair was a British Airways franchisee, operating flights sold through BA using BA flight codes. Loganair's inter-island operations between the Orkney and Shetland Islands carried out using Britten-Norman Islanders was removed from the franchise agreement in 2004. The flights have since been marketed under Loganair's own name, rather than British Airways'. Loganair became a franchise airline of Flybe, operating in the Flybe colours. Flights are also operated under a codeshare agreement with British Airways connecting flights from Scotland to London. The franchise has been criticised by residents in the Scottish islands for what they perceive to be excessively high fares, and a Facebook campaign set up in June 2015 to highlight the issue attracted over 7,400 "likes" over the course of its first weekend.
On 8 July 2011, it was announced that Loganair had agreed to purchase Cambridge based ScotAirways. ScotAirways continued to trade as a separate entity (using its original name of Suckling Airways) and holding its own licences and approvals until April 2013.
Services to Belfast and to Birmingham from Dundee ended on 2 December 2012. After CityJet had terminated its services between Dundee and London City Airport in January 2014, Loganair took over the route, operating From Dundee to London Stansted Airport, with the support of a PSO agreement.
In May 2015 two Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter aircraft were acquired by Highlands and Islands Airports to be operated by Loganair on the Scottish Government's Public Service Obligation routes between Glasgow and Cambeltown, Tiree and Barra. In August 2015 the airline became part of a new regional airline group, Airline Investments Limited (AIL), along with East Midlands-based airline bmi regional
Flybe announced the termination of its franchise agreement with Loganair at the end of August 2017; from when on Loganair will take over all of its present routes under its own brand name.
Destinations
As of November 2016, Loganair serves 28 destinations in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Norway. Part of Loganair's operations includes the world's shortest scheduled commercial route, between Westray Airport and Papa Westray Airport, a distance of 1.7 miles.
Fleet
As of December 2016 the Loganair fleet consists of the following aircraft: