Posts

Dave

Loganair expands at Heathrow, offering new opportunities for UK business travellers

/in /by

Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, has recently announced that it will be expanding its operations at London Heathrow, offering more opportunities and better connections for UK-based business travellers.

The airline has secured access to 30 additional pairs of slots each week at Heathrow under a lease arrangement with British Airways, which will come into effect in May 2023.

Jonathan Hinkles: important first steps

These slots will enable Loganair to develop regional connectivity from UK domestic destinations to the UK’s premier hub, offering both point-to-point access into London and a wide range of new global connections via Heathrow.

Loganair’s Chief Executive, Jonathan Hinkles, expressed his delight in the company’s expansion at Heathrow. He said,

Having taken these important first steps ourselves to provide new connectivity to and from the UK regions under this arrangement, it’s now essential for the UK Government to initiate the process needed to reform competition remedies to provide access to Heathrow for the UK regions.”

This move is expected to create new business opportunities for UK-based travellers. The details of the specific routes to be served will be announced in the coming days.

The airline’s campaign to reform competition remedies has gained support from key figures, including John Holland-Kaye, the Chief Executive of Heathrow Airport; Willie Walsh, the Director General of IATA; Dr Liz Cameron CBE, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

Loganair has called on the UK Government to repatriate control of competition remedies dating back to 2012, under which these Heathrow slots were previously made available to other airlines, predominantly for domestic routes.

This expansion by Loganair comes soon after changes to Heathrow’s tariffs for regional aircraft operating on UK domestic routes took effect from January 2023.

The new tariffs are critical to the viability of Loganair’s plans to provide regional connectivity at Heathrow.

With the additional slots and the potential for new routes, Loganair’s expansion at Heathrow offers new possibilities for UK-based business travellers seeking to connect with domestic destinations and global connections.

Dave

British Airways and Loganair expand codeshare agreement

/in /by

British Airways and Loganair have announced a major expansion of their codeshare agreement, offering more choice and connectivity for customers travelling across the UK

The expansion to eighteen new routes will now give British Airways’ customers access to 38 of Loganair’s UK routes, meaning that customers can book onward connections from destinations across the airline’s route network, or point-to-point travel in the UK more easily.

Routes now available to book include:

  • Aberdeen to Belfast City, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, and Southampton
  • City of Derry to London and Liverpool
  • Cornwall Airport Newquay to Manchester
  • Exeter to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle
  • Isle of Man to Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester
  • Inverness to Birmingham
  • Norwich to Aberdeen and Edinburgh
  • Teesside to Southampton

British Airways customers travelling from Aberdeen or the Isle of Man to Manchester will also now be able to connect onto the airline’s code share flights on other carriers, including oneworld partners, from the north-west hub.

Destinations include New York, Barbados and Orlando, allowing customers to book a single ticket with assured connections. 

The news of a codeshare expansion between the two carriers comes as Loganair celebrates its 60th birthday, making it the oldest UK airline still operating under its original name.

Loganair’s Chief Executive Jonathan Hinkles said:

We’re delighted to mark Loganair’s 60th anniversary with the expansion of our partnership with British Airways.  

The addition of no fewer than eighteen routes is great news for connectivity to and from the UK regions, and we’re confident that the ability to enjoy Executive Club benefits and a new range of seamless flight connections when flying on selected Loganair routes will bring welcome new choice for British Airways customers when flying in the UK regions. 

The development cements what we believe to be the longest-running relationship between two UK airlines, and it’s a partnership which will continue to deliver for customers throughout the UK.

Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances, said:

It is great news to be expanding our longstanding codeshare agreement with Loganair.

This will create better connectivity and offer more choice for our customers between UK regions and destinations all over the world thanks to our expansive global route network and Loganair’s extensive regional services.

Dave

Twenty airlines commit to use new technologies to minimise climate impact

/in /by

Twenty airline members of the World Economic Forum’s Target True Zero initiative have committed to utilising new technologies, such as electric, hydrogen and hybrid aircraft, to address the challenge of climate change.

The development and delivery of novel propulsion technologies – powered by sustainable energy sources – were highlighted as key towards helping the aviation industry minimize its environmental impact.

In a statement, the WEF said ‘the adoption of these technologies into the global fleet – through either new aircraft design or the retrofitting of conventional aircraft – can help reduce the climate impact of our operations while preserving the immense economic and social benefits that aviation brings to the world’.

The signatory airlines – Aero, Air New Zealand, Air Nostrum, Alaska Airlines, Amelia, ASL Aviation Holdings, Braathens Regional Airlines, easyJet, Finistair, Icelandair, Iskwew Air, Loganair, Mokulele, Ravn Alaska, SoundsAir, Southern Airways Express, Surf Air Mobility, Viva Aerobus, Waltzing Matilda Aviation and Xwing – operate over 800 aircraft and carry over 177 million passengers on 1.8 million flights a year and hope to use this influence to create market demand for new types of aircraft.

Key commitments:

  • Short-haul flights first – Shorter range flights were recognised as most likely to employ novel propulsion first. The signatories committed to working towards 30% of aircraft, that serve routes of 750km or less, that are added to their fleets from 2030 onwards employ novel propulsion technologies.
  • Scaling the technology in the future – The airlines also committed to decarbonising longer range aircraft, once this becomes technologically and economically viable.
  • Partnership – The signatories called on aerospace manufactures to prioritize innovation that will allow them to meet these goals.
  • Public-private cooperation – The Target True-Zero airlines also urged governments to do their part in supporting the transition to cleaner aviation. Key calls included establishing policies to provide incentives for operators to adopt these technologies and addressing the infrastructure issues needed to support their use in airports across the world.
Head of Aerospace and Drones at the WEF, Timothy Reuter

Timothy Reuter, Head of Aerospace and Drones, of the World Economic Forum said

The Target True Zero initiative will address the role novel propulsion technologies like electric and hydrogen aviation can play in the transition to an aviation system with true zero climate impacts.

It will address issues in the areas of technology, industry dynamics, infrastructure and supply chain, regulation, and public acceptance.

By accelerating the adoption of solutions with fewer climate impacts, we can ensure equitable growth around the globe while ensuring a healthy planet for future generations.

Uma Subramanian, Chief Executive Officer, Aero said

Uma Subramanian, Aero Chief Executive Officer

At Aero, we are deeply committed to charting our industry’s path to zero emissions and minimising its environmental impact.

We are proud to work with the World Economic Forum and industry leaders to accelerate change in the aviation sector and tackle the most pressing issue of our generation.

The World Economic Forum launched the Target True Zero Initiative in July 2021.

The Initiative aims to develop understanding about how novel propulsion technology can help address aviation’s climate impacts and how the deployment and scaling of these technologies can be accelerated.

Twenty member airlines from across the aviation sector joined the 10 November statement, from global market leaders to local commuter airlines, along with knowledge partners McKinsey and Company, the Aviation Impact Accelerator at the University of Cambridge and the Aviation Environment Federation; and with generous support from the Quadrature Climate Foundation and Breakthrough Energy.

Dave

Edinburgh Airport reveals measures, backed up by “let’s all flysafe” campaign

/in /by

A new campaign and range of measures to help passengers and staff prepare for the return of travel has been announced by Edinburgh Airport.

The “let’s all flysafe” campaign is part of the airport’s readiness programme as airlines begin to restart operations and will provide confidence and reassurance to those travelling through and working at the airport.

Measures introduced at the airport include:


The sky-blue line will guide people into the terminal while the maroon line will guide people out of the terminal.
  • One-way colour-coded systems to manage flow and social distance
  • Hand sanitising stations installed inside and outside the airport
  • Protective screens installed in check-in, security and arrivals
  • A trial of temperature checking technology for departing passengers
  • Staff wearing face coverings and PPE in passenger facing areas
  • Enhanced cleaning schedules and new fogging machines to disinfect trollies and wheelchairs
  • Deep cleaning of security trays, and new anti-viral trays introduced

Sanitising stations have been installed for people to clean their hands before entering the terminal, before and after security and in Arrivals.

The campaign is backed by new signage at the airport clearly explaining to people where they need to go. They include colours different from the traditional brand colours. The sky-blue, maroon red and lime green differentiates the campaign from regular materials.

Social media graphics will also be used to prepare people ahead of arriving at the airport, while emails containing the same messaging will be sent to our passengers.

The campaign encourages staff and passengers to work together and for all of us to do what we can to protect each other and flysafe. The airport has introduced five general rules for travellers to follow:

  • Don’t risk it – don’t fly or come to the airport if you feel unwell
  • Protect yourself and others – please wear a face covering
  • Clean your hands often – wash or use sanitiser
  • Maintain social distancing and be mindful of other passengers
  • Be kind, be patient and flysafe

The introduction of the campaign and enhanced measures comes as airlines such as easyJet, Ryanair, Loganair, Wizz and British Airways look to reintroduce parts of their schedule.

The let’s all flysafe campaign has been created in partnership with Edinburgh-based The Lane Agency who have a strong track record with high-profile campaigns and a close relationship with the airport.

Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said:

We know how important it is to provide passengers with reassurance and confidence as they look to return to travel and we’ve spent a lot of time looking at how we do that by making improvements to our operation.

The steps we have taken will allow people to get moving safely and reopen our economy by providing that connectivity that our airlines are rebuilding. We all have a part to play in this recovery and we must make sure we do that by encouraging people to flysafe.

Adam Wilson, Operations Director at Edinburgh Airport said:

Although we never want to see a near empty airport, we’ve utilised the time to closely look at the terminal and surrounding areas and come up with a plan to protect everyone as much as possible.

We know the layout is different and we know it will take time to adapt to it, but we believe the campaign and measures are the right thing for our airport and our passengers. We’re effectively welcoming people into our home and these changes are our way of providing them with confidence and reassurance, letting them know we care about and them and their journeys.

We’ll continue to evaluate our approach as we go forward, and we encourage people to provide feedback and help us all flysafe.