The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Loganair wins Royal Mail contract
Loganair has won a new five-year contract to fly mail to and from Scotland’s islands.
It is one of two airlines selected by Royal Mail for the mail air freight service which it begins today.
Loganair will use larger Saab 340 Freighter aircraft on dedicated services to Orkney and Shetland to increase the air capacity for mail and small parcel deliveries to Scotland’s islands.
The new contract will lead to 24 new Loganair jobs in Scotland for pilots, engineers and ground handling staff in Inverness, Aberdeen and in Orkney and Shetland.
The airline will continue to provide the Western Isles mail service linking Inverness to Stornoway and Benbecula.
Loganair will also have new responsibilities for linking Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Inverness, and continue to fly between Inverness and the mail hub at East Midlands as part of Royal Mail’s overnight delivery network.
The airline will expand its Saab 340 freighter aircraft fleet from two to four, which will be exclusively used on Royal Mail’s network.
One will serve as a dedicated standby aircraft and be stationed at Inverness.
Euan McMurdo, Royal Mail’s logistics director, said: “Royal Mail is proud to be the universal provider for mail throughout all of Scotland and serve all 2.5 million addresses in the country.
“We are pleased to be awarding this new contract to Loganair, one of our long-standing suppliers serving the Scottish Islands.
“The introduction of larger aircraft on our services to and from Orkney and Shetland will double the freight capacity on these flights, which we’re sure will be warmly welcomed by island residents and local businesses alike.”
Loganair’s managing director Jonathan Hinkles, said: “It is the largest single contract award in Loganair’s 54-year history.
“The training of new pilots and engineers will significantly increase the scale of Loganair’s employment at both Inverness and Aberdeen airports.”
Loganair operates a scheduled passenger service to London Stansted from Dundee, presently franchised through Flybe.