A skeleton schedule of essential air services will operate within Scotland, to and from the Isle of Man and on two routes supporting critical workers in the offshore industry at Aberdeen.

Services will be maintained to a limited timetable on the following routes with a minimum of six weekly flights (daily except Saturday) planned:

• Aberdeen-Kirkwall
• Aberdeen-Manchester
• Aberdeen-Norwich
• Aberdeen-Sumburgh
• Glasgow-Barra
• Glasgow-Benbecula
• Glasgow-Campbeltown
• Glasgow-Islay
• Glasgow-Stornoway
• Glasgow-Tiree
• Isle of Man-Liverpool
• Isle of Man-Manchester
• Kirkwall-Sumburgh
• Orkney inter-isles air services
• Stornoway-Benbecula
• Dedicated flights operated for Royal Mail and the oil & gas industry

All other Loganair routes and services are suspended from 30 March until at least 20 April. Some will already have been closed for booking.

At present, services are planned to resume on a selection of key routes from 20 April and on others from 31 May, but these dates will be subject to further review depending on the prevailing national circumstances and consequent demand for travel.

The services provided in the meantime will be to facilitate travel only for those with an essential need, such as workers in designated critical professions and others covered by the latest Government advice. We have worked closely with the Scottish Government to determine those services which will remain in place.

Customers booked on routes which have been suspended or cancelled will be entitled to a refund of their ticket. Customers who wish to defer their travel plans or are unable to travel will be able to change their bookings without the usual change fees for a future date, or put flights “on hold” for up to six months.

Loganair expects to ground approximately half of its 44 aircraft in the coming days and has advised its staff of the probability of furlough under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

The airline is also working to keep abreast of impending closures of several airport terminal facilities and to ensure contingency plans are available to continue to deliver these services even if the usual airport terminals are not available to accommodate customers. Further information will be released once the need for such arrangements becomes clear.

Efforts are also in hand to protect essential carriage of pharmaceuticals, mail, newspapers and other consumer goods which are reliant on Loganair’s services in the Highlands and Islands as a matter of course.

Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair’s chief executive, said: “The challenges that we’re all facing in everyday life are evolving by the day, and we are having to work through a whole host of disparate issues to maintain services for those with a critical need to travel, or indeed the many island communities totally reliant on Loganair to deliver their daily essentials.

“I’m proud of the work that so many of our team are doing right now to keep vital air routes open, without which our communities would be in severe difficulty. The tremendous team spirit in evidence throughout Loganair is providing all of us with confidence to tackle the challenges that undoubtedly lay ahead.”

“Throughout all of this, safety will remain our absolute priority – whether that of our staff or our customers, or indeed the daily focus to assure that each and every Loganair flight is conducted safely.”

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