Scottish regional Loganair to strengthen ties with British Airways

Scottish regional airline Loganair is in discussions with British Airways (BA) on an expanded codeshare agreement.

The Glasgow-based operator is about to come to the end of a lengthy franchise agreement with Europe’s largest regional airline, Flybe. It has flown in Exeter-based Flybe’s colors for a decade, but talks on renewing the agreement broke down in 2016 when the two sides were unable to agree on terms.

Flybe has since gone on to sign a franchise agreement with another UK regional, Eastern Airways, and fierce competition is expected between the groups.

From Sept. 1, Loganair will again operate under its traditional colors of a black lower fuselage and red engine cowlings, with a tartan tailfin.

Loganair provides air services, many of them on a Public Service Obligation basis (the UK equivalent of the US Essential Air Services model), to small airports in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, with a fleet of turboprop aircraft, the backbone of which is 13 Saab 340s. It also operates five Saab 2000s, three Dornier 328s and three DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400s. Two Britten-Norman Islanders operate ultra-short routes in the Orkney and Shetland island groups.

Prior to its connection with Flybe, Loganair was a BA franchise operation for 14 years from 1994-2008.

The business relationship with BA continued even during the Flybe period with a codeshare operation with the UK national carrier on some of Loganair’s intra-Scottish services.

“Loganair and British Airways have a longstanding and successful relationship in serving the communities of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and we are working closely with our colleagues at British Airways to strengthen those links to the benefit of both airlines and, more importantly, to our customers,” Loganair’s commercial director Kay Ryan said.

Loganair is the longstanding holder of two aviation world records: it flies the world’s shortest scheduled air route, a two-minute hop between the islands of Westray and Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands. It also operates the only scheduled air service to land on a tidal beach, at Barra, in the Western Isles.