Scots airline now offering flights from Lake District for first time in 26 years

A SCOTTISH airline yesterday started flights from the Lake District, the first time such a service has been offered for 26 years.

Loganair is operating flights between Carlisle Lake District Airport and London Southend, Belfast City and Dublin.

There will be one flight each way between the two destinations every day.

The flight from Southend to Carlisle will take just under 90 minutes, although it would still then be almost an hour’s drive to Keswick in the northern Lakes.

That compares with typically well over five hours to drive from London to the Lakes, and just over four hours by train from London Euston to Carlisle.

But nervous flyers may prefer to stick with the car or train because Loganair is using a small, 33-seat Saab 340B propeller aircraft to operate the flights.

With around 19million visitors to the Lake District every year, Loganair says it may lay on more flights or bigger planes if there is enough demand.

Prices, which start at £44.99 to Southend one way, are comparable to – or can be even cheaper than – taking the train.

Carlisle Lake District Airport is on the site of a former RAF airfield. Its last commercial passenger flight was in 1993.

Kate Willard of the Stobart Group, which owns London Southend and Carlisle Lake District airports, said the flights would bring new tourists to the Lakes, as well as making travel easier for Cumbrian residents.

Loganair, which has its own registered tartan, is owned by Airline Investments, the same parent company as Flybmi, which went bust this year.