Loganair relaunches Kirkwall to Fair Isle flights
Image courtesy Loganair
Fair Isle is one of the UK's smallest airports and is run by the National Trust for Scotland.
Located between Orkney and Shetland, Fair Isle is home to a permanent population of around 60 people and is one of Britain's most remote inhabited islands. The island is famed for its bird watching but its only tourist accommodation, Fair Isle Bird Observatory, suffered a devastating fire in March 2019, forcing its closure. The internationally-renowned research centre is now set to reopen from 2024, prompting Loganair to reinstate its service next summer.
Commencing from Monday 20th May and running until Monday 2nd September, the new link between Fair Isle and Kirkwall will operate twice weekly.
Loganair’s summer 2024 schedule will also see improvements to timings of its Newcastle to Southampton, Edinburgh to Sumburgh and Edinburgh to Exeter services. Specifically welcoming a weekend return service between Newcastle and Southampton. It also sees the larger 72-seat ATR-72 deployed on busier routes.
Luke Lovegrove, chief commercial officer at Loganair, said: “We’re improving our schedule and increasing frequency across several key markets, in order to better serve our customers next summer. The opportunity to reinstate our Fair Isle service is particularly pleasing and demonstrates our support to this island community.”
Loganair’s BN2 Islander gets a fresh coat of tartan paint
Loganair’s BN2 Islander was welcomed back to Orkney recently, sporting the airline’s iconic tartan tail.
Named 'Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney' after St Magnus, the hardy twin Otter’s new paint job will ensure tartan consistency across all Loganair aircrafts, ranging from the airline’s 72-seat ATR72-600 to this eight-seat Islander.
The Britten Norman Islander is based at Kirkwall and it is the heart and soul of Loganair’s Orkney inter-island service, transporting customers to North Ronaldsay, Papa Westray, Westray, Eday, Sanday and Stronsay.
This includes the world’s shortest flight, between Westray and Papa Westray, with a flight time of just 90 seconds.
Loganair Chief Executive, Jonathan Hinkles, said: “The BN2 Islander is often referred to as the Land Rover of the skies and I don’t think anything could be more apt. It’s a robust, dependable and versatile aircraft that is at ease travelling the island air. No matter the coat of paint, the Islander will always be there for our island communities.”
