News / Loganair improves punctuality
THE PUNCTUALITY of flights to and from Shetland is at its best level since 2013, according to airline Loganair.
The company said on Friday (4 November) that during October, 92 per cent of flights left within the industry standard of 15 minutes, compared to just 78.6 per cent last year.
The news comes as Loganair reported a drop in pre-tax profits from £7.08m to £3.6m for the year ending March 2016.
Turnover increased by two per cent from £93.6m to £95.3m.
Loganair appointed new managing director Jonathan Hinkles in June, who spent the last four years working for Virgin Atlantic.
The company has come under fire over the last couple of years for its service in the Northern Isles, with delayed and cancelled flights once a regular occurrence.
The airline is in the midst of expanding its Saab 2000 capacity and upgrading its 13 Saab 340 planes at a cost of £3.5m.
It also launched a new spare parts hub at Glasgow Airport in an effort to quicken repairs.
Hinckley said very significant progress had been made.
“This is a testament to the improvements and investments that have been made, and that we will continue to make, to reaffirm our reputation as Scotland’s airline,” he said.
Shetland MSP Tavish Scott welcomed the news, but warned Loganair against complacency.
“I want to make sure the airline does not take its eye off the ball,” he said.
“Every aspect of Shetland life is affected by this lifeline transport service. We all need Loganair to be successful in running a service that operates on time and these are encouraging performance figures.”
Highlands and Islands list MSP David Stewart added that he was “heartened” by the improvement in punctuality.
“Loganair have invested heavily in their engineering division and this investment seems to be paying off,” he said.
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