PLANES will take passengers to one of Scotland’s most remote islands for the first time in five years after the relaunch of a route, it has been announced.
Loganair said it will fly tourists to the Fair Isle – which is roughly mid-way between Orkney and Shetland – for the first time since 2019.
The flights are due to take off in 2024 to coincide with the reopening of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory after it burned down in 2019.
They will go from Kirkwall, in Orkney, to the island, which is part of Shetland.
Loganair said the flights would be relaunched as part of a new schedule which would see a larger ATR-72 aircraft deployed on busier routes and “improvements to timings” of its Newcastle to Southampton, Edinburgh to Sumburgh, and Edinburgh to Exeter services.
The firm said the release of its schedule for summer 2024 meant there were 900,000 seats for sale “across key regional routes”.
The Fair Isle connection will run twice weekly from May 20 to September 2.
The island is home to one of the UK's smallest airports, which is run by the National Trust for Scotland. The observatory, which houses an internationally-renowned research centre, offers Fair Isle’s only tourist accommodation.
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.
“Advance booking is the optimal way to secure the best value deals on our services so with over 900,000 seats now available next summer, it is the perfect time to plan your trips.”
The firm said that further announcements about its schedule should be expected in the coming months.
Reservations for Loganair’s newly launched summer 2024 schedule can be made at www.loganair.co.uk
