Transport / Fuel surcharge not being removed, Loganair says
LOGANAIR will not be removing a fuel surcharge for customers – despite the airline’s own conditions for removing the charge being met.
The airline introduced the £3.95 surcharge per one way trip in March 2022 as a response to rising global oil prices.
It said then that if the price of Brent crude oil fell below $85 per barrel for six consecutive weeks, the fuel surcharge would be removed completely.
It was pointed out to Loganair officials at a meeting last month that the price a barrel had dropped to $66, which drew questions about when the charge would be removed.
But a month on – with the price of a barrel now down to just $62 – Loganair has insisted the charge is here to stay.
“The fuel surcharge supports the transition to sustainable aviation fuel, helping reduce the environmental impact of regional air services while maintaining reliable connections for island communities,” Loganair told Shetland News.
“Regional flying brings unique challenges and economic pressures, but remains just as vital for connecting people, businesses, and services as larger airlines.”
The fuel surcharge fluctuates depending whether passengers are flying to from Sumburgh Airport.
Customers pay £2.75 each for a one-way trip to Aberdeen, and £5.50 each when flying one-way to Glasgow.
As well as that, Loganair charges passengers a GreenSkies fee – introduced in 2021 – which goes towards its goal of offsetting its use of carbon.
The airline said in 2021 that a £1 carbon offset charge would be included in the ticket price of every customer’s flight, with the money being “invested in projects across the world to remove the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere as is generated by Loganair flights”.
However that charge seems to have risen over time too, with a passenger flying to Aberdeen being charged £1.82 for a one-way trip.
That rises to £2.02 for a one-way flight to Glasgow.
It means that a family of two adults and two children under the age of 15 would pay £36.56 across the fuel and GreenSkies surcharges for return flights to Aberdeen.
Loganair said it remained “committed to offering choice and value through flexible fare options, including the air discount scheme, while maintaining safe, consistent and sustainable operations for those travelling to and from the islands.”
Environment and transport committee chairwoman Moraig Lyall told Loganair officials at last month’s external transport forum that she felt their air fares were on the rise.
She praised Loganair for its recent on-time performance, saying that was “fundamentally the most important thing” about the service.
However she was critical of the fares being charged by the airline.
“The prices of the flights do seem to be creeping up,” she said.
“There seems to have been a considerable increase in costs.”
She added she would like “to see that coming down again”.
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