Loganair is revamping its fleet with the sale of eight Saab 340s for $12 million.
They will be replaced from next year by a further eight ATR next-generation turboprops.
The new aircraft will bring up to a 27% reduction in carbon emissions per seat versus the Saab 340 which operate on the regional carrier’s Scottish Highlands and Islands routes.
The smaller 34-seat Saabs will progressively leave the fleet by July 2023 and will continue flying with new operators in North America.
The airline currently operates 42 aircraft across 70 routes throughout its network.
The ATR fleet will have an average age of only eight years when all are introduced.
They will bring enhanced capacity across the network with more seats on each flight, in addition to more cargo and mail hold space for its charter services.
The new ATR aircraft are also equipped to use satellite-based approach systems, enabling operations to continue safely in conditions of reduced visibility such as fog or low cloud – a common issue faced across Highlands and Islands destinations.
Loganair already has 15 ATRs in service, including four 72-seat aircraft and four freighters which have taken over mail delivery flights in recent months.
The carrier first began flying the Saab 340s in Scotland in 1999 and have formed the mainstay of flights in the Highlands and Islands.
With the first of a series of new agreements already signed, leasing company Abelo joins Nordic Aviation Capital and Falko as providers of aircraft to Loganair.
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.
“In selecting our future fleet, it’s important to have an aircraft which builds upon our environmental credentials while withstanding island weather conditions and providing accessibility for all customers in the communities we serve – we’ve found all those characteristics and more in the ATR turboprop.
“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.”