Dundee-Sumburgh direct flights to end in October
DIRECT flights between Sumburgh and Dundee will end in October, with Loganair also closing its base at Dundee airport.
The airline said it had decided to close the base on Friday 23 October following a review of the long-term viability of the Dundee-London Heathrow route.
That will mean that the Sumburgh-Dundee route will also stop around this time, the airline has confirmed.
No figures have been provided for how many employees may lose their jobs at Dundee, with staff set to be offered alternative roles in the company “wherever possible”.
Loganair had announced in May that flights between Dundee and Heathrow would end later this year, but said at the time it was exploring alternative London routes.
It also said at the time that it remained committed to Dundee Airport.
However in a statement today (Tuesday), a Loganair spokesperson said that they had not been able to identify an alternative London route that would allow the route to remain sustainable.
Loganair had delivered the service as a public service obligation (PSO) but said it had decided to pull out after a review of its air network in May.
“Earlier this year, we served notice to the stakeholder group behind the Public Service Obligation route after the contract became financially unsustainable,” a Loganair spokesperson said.
“We have since explored alternative options but have not been able to identify a viable way forward that meets the objectives of the PSO while allowing the route to operate sustainably.
“Customers affected by the change will be contacted directly.”
Loganair added the decisions “reflect the same disciplined, decisive approach that has driven previous improvements in Loganair’s punctuality and resilience, protecting the long-term future of the airline, our people, and the lifeline connectivity we provide to communities across our network.”
Chief commercial officer Ronnie Matheson said earlier this year that rising maintenance costs and a lack of available aircraft parts were partly to blame for the Sumburgh-Dundee-Heathrow air service being scrapped.
Matheson said the lack of available aircraft parts globally and the “increased cost of maintenance” had seriously affected Loganair’s ability to fly to Heathrow.
“Quite simply that was the reason why we could no longer make the Dundee-Heathrow service work,” he added.
The news of the Dundee route stopping comes just days after flights between Inverness and the Northern Isles were reinstated.
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