News / Airline’s dedicated mail plane
LOGANAIR has converted one of its Saab 340 planes into a dedicated freighter aircraft to bring the mail to Shetland and Orkney.
Back in March, the Scottish airline took on the five-year contract with Royal Mail to provide mail services throughout Scotland, including the northern isles.
Until now the service was provided with the help of a borrowed aircraft, but the RMA Shetland Flyer has taken over.
Managing director Jonathan Hinkles said the new aircraft represents part of a significant investment of over £3m by Loganair on the back of securing the Royal Mail contract.
“The RMA Shetland Flyer name revives a proud aviation tradition, using the classic ‘Royal Mail Aeroplane’ prefix which aircraft flying Shetland’s mail carried from the inception of mail deliveries by air in the 1930s,” he said.
“For both Shetland and Orkney, the introduction of the dedicated Saab 340 freighter aircraft with a payload of up to 3.5 tonnes means that the mail capacity has doubled versus the previous smaller aircraft.”
Loganair has also worked with Highlands & Islands Airports (HIAL) to introduce new freight and mail security screening capabilities at Sumburgh and Kirkwall airports to meet the latest regulatory standards.
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