Loganair has revealed plans to shift its Derry and Dundee flights to Heathrow from May in a move described as a connectivity “gamechanger” for the UK regions.
Flights from Kirkwall Airport in the Orkney Islands and Sumburgh Airport in the Shetland Islands via Dundee will also operate through Heathrow from next month under the plans.
The UK’s largest regional airline said the proposed move will represent the largest single expansion of regional, domestic air connectivity at Heathrow in a generation.
It will also open the regions up to connections with a range of worldwide destinations thanks to Loganair’s airline partnerships, including British Airways, the largest airline at Heathrow.
Loganair has announced its intention to move the Public Service Obligation (PSO) air services linking the City of Derry and Dundee Airports and London into Heathrow from May 6, subject to government approval. The move of airport terminus requires the formal consent of the UK Secretary of State for Transport, with past precedent established with previous PSO air moves.
The announcement comes after the airline secured additional slots at Heathrow.
Loganair plans to move its Dundee service, which currently operates to and from London City airport, from May 7, and its Derry service, which operates to and from Stansted, from May 6, to Heathrow’s Terminal Two.
The change will mean clients can book single-ticket, assured connections to and from Derry via Heathrow to 119 destinations in 56 countries and from Dundee via Heathow to 97 destinations in 45 countries. These range from Singapore and Hong Kong to Buenos Aires and Budapest.
Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles said: “The move to Heathrow truly is a gamechanger for UK regional air services. Alongside excellent ground transport links into central London, the new range of global flight connections will bring new inward investment opportunities and tourism into the UK’s regions, together with enabling travellers to use their local airport to fly worldwide for the first time.”
Steve Frazer, managing director, City of Derry airport, called the proposed switch to Heathrow an “exciting time for the airport”, adding: “Not only will this provide direct connectivity to London’s premier airport, it also generates a ‘gateway to the world’ via one of the world’s best international hubs. This will be a significant step for economic and strategic growth across the northwest, all from your convenient, local airport.”
Heathrow also welcomed the move as “exciting” with UK passengers and businesses set to benefit from hundreds of onward connections worldwide.
Chief commercial officer Ross Baker said: “Our domestic charging discounts will continue to support further growth in our domestic network which is vital to strengthen our role as the UK’s hub airport, helping to level up investment across the country while connecting more people and businesses to global growth.”
The moves will open up more seats, with extra flights to and from Derry and more seats available on existing flights to and from Dundee, while also cutting flight times and carbon emissions. Flights will continue to be operated by Loganair’s locally based crews in Derry and Dundee.
Customers have already been notified of the change, either directly or through their travel agent. Small adjustments in the timetable mean flights will leave Dundee at 7am and evening flights return from Heathrow at 6.50pm while morning flights will leave Derry at 6.35am instead of 6.50am.
All flights are covered by the GreenSkies programme with carbon emissions fully offset through certified international schemes to remove an amount of carbon from the atmosphere, equivalent to that generated by each flight.