A SCOTTISH airline has announced it is cutting flights from multiple airports for the “greater good”.
Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, has announced several adjustments to its routes around one month after a new chief executive took over.
The changes were announced as Luke Farajallah, the new chief executive of Loganair, issued an apology for “unacceptable levels of disruption that have been experienced for over 18 months whilst the airline has been undertaking a re-fleeting programme”.
From May 10, Loganair will no longer fly from Glasgow to Southampton.
Two Loganair routes from Aberdeen, to Teeside and to Newcastle, will also both be scrapped.
The airline said that “several other routes will see minor adjustments to frequency, in varying stages, until the end of the summer schedule on October 26”.
These include a drop in the number of flights from Edinburgh to Southampton (from four daily to three) and from Inverness to Manchester (11 per week to nine) and Stornoway (10 per week to nine).
Elsewhere, flights from Glasgow to Derry will no longer be run on Thursday, and to Donegal will no longer run on Fridays.
Loganair is also reducing the number of flights from the Isle of Man to Birmingham and from Newcastle to Southampton.
Farajallah (below) said: “Since my first day as CEO of Loganair last month, I have been listening carefully to feedback from our loyal customers and hard-working crew, and I want to personally apologise to everyone who has been impacted by the unacceptable levels of disruption that have been experienced for over 18 months whilst the airline has been undertaking a re-fleeting programme.
“We appreciate the changes we are announcing today may impact some customers whose bookings may need to change.
"While we apologise to customers affected, this decision is one that has been made for the greater good of the vast majority of customers who must be able to book and fly with confidence, especially from some of the most remote parts of the UK.
“Loganair is the UK’s largest regional airline, and we are getting back to the basic principles that have made us successful for over six decades.”
Farajallah said Loganair’s services in the Highlands and Islands meant the firm had to be “so much more than an airline serving a leisure market”.
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He went on: "We have been falling short of the service levels expected of us by our loyal customers and amazing crew for over 18 months, and today we are making changes that once fully delivered throughout the summer will help restore the image and reputation we have fought so hard to generate over so many years as the trusted airline partner in our unique market.
“Our entire team and board of directors is behind us in making these decisions, and we are all excited about the prospect of getting back to our core set of principles in our heartlands – and we intend to defend and grow our presence in these markets through the demonstration that we can and will deliver consistent operational stability and excellence."
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