Uist’s lifeline air service goes on the market
Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline is up for sale. The company was set up in 1962 by Willie Logan and has changed hands several times over the decades, operating under various franchise agreements. For the past 25 years, it has been wholly owned by Stephen and Peter Bond, who also owned and operated FlyBMI and Bond Aviation.
Loganair has offered its assurances that the current owners are committed to finding the right future owner for the airline and that they will remain fully committed to the business until a sale is concluded.
The intention to sell was released at the same time as Loganair’s audited accounts, which set out out pre-tax profits of £4.98 million and a turnover of £161 million, following losses in each of the previous two years as a result of Covid-19 sector wide impacts.
The statutory accounts also document that Loganair has secured a new long-term, five-year contract with Royal Mail to undertake its Highlands & Islands air services, delivering to Scottish islands by day and connecting to Royal Mail’s national network each night.
Asked what the sale would mean for Uist, Loganair Chief Executive Jonathan Hinkles said: “Loganair has been proudly serving Highlands and Islands communities for over 60 years, providing crucial connectivity, essential supplies, and lifeline services for a host of vital Island activity. We appreciate the news of a potential change of ownership of the airline could raise some questions about our future, but we’d like to reassure everyone that we remain deeply committed to our island roots. Our plan remains the same; to continue our investment in growing our fleet and routes in order to provide safe and secure travel for all of our Highlands and Islands communities.”
Loganair employs 800 people with 200 staff members based in the Highlands and Islands. It is the UK’s largest regional airline, operating a fleet of 42 aircraft across over 70 scheduled routes within the UK and to Ireland, Denmark and Norway and last year carried more than 910,000 passengers.
For more on the Loganair situation, read Cllr Uisdean Robertson’s column.
