McArthur calls on Loganair to reduce fares 

Orkney’s MSP Liam McArthur has called on Loganair to reduce the cost of air travel to and from the islands. His demand comes as Loganair posted profits of £11m, with £8m paid in dividends to shareholders.

Mr McArthur met with senior representatives of Loganair earlier today and reinforced the need for the airline to bring down prices and make services more accessible to islanders. With the cost of fuel also coming down, Orkney’s MSP called on Loganair not to proceed with a planned increase in its fuel ‘surcharge’ on passengers from January next year.

Commenting, Mr McArthur said:

“The reliability of Loganair’s services has greatly improved over the past year or so, which is very welcome.  However, the cost of fares has continued to climb, making this ‘lifeline’ service increasingly unaffordable for many islanders, even with the Air Discount Scheme.

“Loganair have offered discounts on tickets every so often, but that doesn’t reflect how islanders tend to use the service. What is needed is lower fares across the year, not simply ‘flash sales’ once in a while.

“Loganair’s latest results show a 17% year-on-year increase in the cost of fares. At the same time, the airline reported £11m in profits with £8m in dividends paid out to shareholders.

“After the recent demise of Eastern Airways, islanders recognise the importance of Loganair remaining profitable. However, a balance must be struck and that doesn’t seem to be happening right now.

“In my meeting with Loganair today, I made clear that more must be done to bring down the cost of fares, including by not increasing the fuel ‘surcharge’ next month. Over the past year, I have been told on many occasions by Loganair’s management that they are ‘alive’ to this issue. Their annual results suggest the time to act is now”.