Tiree flights halve as Covid slows bookings

Loganair has temporarily cut daily flights between Tiree and Glasgow from two to one as the current Covid spike deters air travel, writes Sandy Neil.

Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, flies to and from Tiree, Islay, Campbeltown, Barra, Benbecula, and Stornoway, with a network of more than 70 routes in Scotland, England, the Channel Islands, Belgium, Isle of Man, Norway, Ireland, Denmark and Germany.

This month Tiree Community Council heard that, given the low number of passengers currently travelling to and from the island, Loganair was asking the Scottish Government to cut flights to one a day.

Convener Dr John Holliday said: ‘Loganair asked Transport Scotland if they could cut their afternoon flights between Tiree and Glasgow for the next few weeks, as forward bookings were very poor. This is put down to Omicron deterring travel and a quiet time of year.

‘Tiree Community Council was consulted as this is a subsidised service. We took soundings from the doctor’s surgery, the school and the airport, and asked for a retention of one double rotation to allow people to come to Tiree for the day. This has been granted. It’s a reduction in service, but we understand the circumstances and we need a financially healthy carrier. We are happy with the consultation process.’

At the meeting, a member of the public said the daily morning and afternoon flights allowed islanders to make hospital appointments in Glasgow without incurring the cost of an overnight stay.

A spokesperson for Loganair said: ‘Loganair has seen lower customer confidence translate directly into reduced travel demand during this challenging period. We have reduced our schedule by one third for January and at this time, by 20 per cent for February. We expect and plan to resume a more normal level of service as soon as possible.’