Flight schedule escapes major change

FLIGHTS to and from Shetland have largely escaped Loganair’s plans to cut back its summer schedule in the face of rising fuel prices.

Fears had been voiced that the airline’s service to the isles could face severe disruption as it struggled to combat increasingly expensive running costs.

But while some changes have been made, the cuts have not been as severe as some expected.

Services to Aberdeen will continue almost unchanged throughout the summer season, with five daily mid-week services carrying on as normal.

But Loganair say the BA8875 service at 12.30pm, which operates on Monday and Friday, will come to an end on Friday 29th August.

Edinburgh services will continue as normal with two flights each day from Monday to Saturday and one flight on a Sunday.

The Sumburgh to Glasgow service will also continue to run daily with no reduction in the service.
However, the timing has changed on the Sunday service, with flights now departing at 12.10pm as opposed to 13.30pm.

There will be no changes to Loganair’s Inverness and Kirkwall services.

The Bergen service will end at the end of the month as planned. Loganair say they have been pleased with how well it has been received.

A spokesman said: “There have been minor changes made to our summer schedule, across the network, some of which include Shetland services.

“We continue to monitor all our services and this timetable offers adequate frequency and capacity to meet the requirements of our passengers.”

Plans to identify flights that could be axed from the summer schedule were announced earlier this year.
Services in Orkney and the Western Isles also fell under the spotlight, although the company pledged to concentrate only on flights with low passenger numbers.

The move came just weeks after Loganair announced a £4 price hike for every flight, following continuing increases in oil prices.