The carrier is due to halt the Isle of Man to London Heathrow link from August 11
Scottish-based airline, Loganair has announced it will cancel its Isle of Man to London Heathrow service from August 11.
The UK’s largest regional operator made the decision after the Isle of Man government was unable to agree essential financial support for the service beyond the end of July.
The route, which was flown by a 49-seat Embraer 145 jet, started at the end of November 2020 and provided an essential link from the island to the capital.
After the collapse of Flybe in March last year, Loganair upheld the majority of the Isle of Man’s passenger air services. The route also provided onward connections at Heathrow with partner airlines including British Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates and KLM.
Kay Ryan, Loganair chief commercial officer, said: “We regret having to take this decision to cancel the Heathrow service and also very much regret the inconvenience to our customers.
“The sharp rise in costs of operating services at London’s premier airport coupled to the slower-than-expected rebound in passenger numbers after the pandemic mean that the route is not viable unless it has financial support from the Isle of Man Government.
“We were given to understand the connectivity we can provide via codeshare agreements with our international airline partners at Heathrow was of vital importance to the Island community, and it has therefore come as an unwelcome surprise that the Isle of Man Government foresees no continuing requirement for the route.”
At present, the regional airline employs pilots and cabin crew based in the Isle of Man. Operational contracts for this route and the maintenance of aircraft, carried out by local company M&A Technical Services, will also be cut back in early August.
Looking ahead, Loganair still plans to add a new service to Manchester up to twice daily from August 31 and remains committed to increasing the route's frequency to four daily flights by next summer as planned.
