Scotland-based, but the UK’s largest regional carrier, Loganair, has announced that the carrier is to invest heavily in upgrading its current fleet of Saab 340B aircraft which have served it well over the past twenty years. By July 2023 the remaining eight Saab aircraft will be replaced by eight more fuel-efficient ATR next-generation turboprop aircraft which should lower carbon emissions by 25% per seat compared to the Saab 340s that operate on Loganair’s Highland and Island routes, amid its commitment to become fully carbon neutral by 2040.
Leasing company Abelo joins Nordic Aviation Capital and Falko as providers of aircraft to Loganair, with the airline recently reporting a return to profitability. Currently Loganair operates 15 next-generation ATR turboprops which include four of the 72-seat ATR 72-600 passenger aircraft and four dedicated ATR 72-500 Freighter aircraft that have taken over mail delivery flights to and from the Highlands and Islands in recent months.
Loganair Chief Executive Jonathan Hinkles said: “The Saab 340s have served us, and our customers, superbly well over the last two decades, but it’s time for us to transition to a new generation of aircraft. Our multi-million-pound investment in ATR aircraft will safeguard connectivity for future generations within the Highlands and Islands air network, on which so many communities depend. We serve the vast majority of air routes in the Highlands and Islands on a purely commercial basis, with no direct subsidy – unlike other forms of transport – and are funding the introduction of new aircraft ourselves.”
