1962

Loganair’s founder Willie Logan, owner of a construction company, bought air taxi firm Capital Services which he had used to travel the country between building sites. Following the takeover, the renamed Loganair was based in Renfrew with a Piper Aztec as the sole aircraft.

1963

In October Loganair’s first scheduled flight took off between Dundee and Turnhouse Airport, Edinburgh, to coincide with the requirements of contractors who were working on the Tay Road Bridge. Another service was also set up for the business personnel travelling between the two cities, on an on-demand basis.

1964

Loganair won the contract to deliver newspapers to Stornoway. The Piper Aztec pilot would help unload the papers and reload the aircraft with freight for the return leg, mainly Harris Tweed.

1967

Loganair commenced the Orkney Inter Isles service which connected mainland Kirkwall to the smaller islands. In the same year, a supplementary air ambulance contract was also won.

The Britten Norman Islander aircraft, the latest version of which still operates the Inter-Isles service, was to be key in the Loganair ambulance operation, however the first ambulance flight was operated by Piper Aztec.

1968

In October the capital share of Loganair was acquired by the National Commercial Bank of Scotland, leading to the introduction of mobile banks for islanders on Lewis.

1976

A new airstrip was built on Fair Isle to replace an old strip from World War 2. Loganair flew Shetland ponies to Fair Isle after 80 years of their absence on the island.

1980

Loganair introduced two Embraer 110 aircraft to the fleet. The increased speed, range and passenger comfort allowed Loganair to serve off shore oil companies.

1983

In December Loganair was acquired by British Midland Airways. Following the partnership, the airline’s route map expanded throughout Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.

1994

Loganair became a British Airways franchise partner. The agreement between the two airlines meant the airline would operate on behalf of British Airways on Loganair’s highland routes and British Airways routes Glasgow to Aberdeen, Glasgow to Sumburgh via Inverness and Kirkwall and Glasgow to Belfast.

1997

Loganair was part of a management buyout led by Chairman Scott Grier. Five Britten- Norman Islanders operated the Shetland and the Orkney Inter-Isle services as Loganair routes. The Twin Otter was introduced on services from Glasgow to Tiree, Barra and Campbeltown.

2004

By this time Loganair had acquired all the Scottish routes previously operated by British Airways CitiExpress. This meant that Loganair now operated services between; Glasgow – Stornoway, Glasgow – Benbecula, Aberdeen – Sumburgh and Aberdeen - Kirkwall.

2008

The British Airways franchise agreement came to an end and Loganair took this opportunity to enter into a new franchise agreement with Flybe. The long association with British Airways continued though via a codeshare arrangement, with Loganair’s flights marketed as connecting BA flights to London and beyond.

2011

In July Loganair acquired Cambridge-based Suckling Airways, bringing Dornier 328 aircraft into its fleet. The Dorniers gave operational and commercial options that weren’t available on Saab aircraft due to superior speed and range.

2017

Time for Loganair to fly once again under its own name as the franchise agreement with Flybe ended. The airline started flew “solo” from 1st September 2017. This was the first time in 25 years that Loganair had flown under its own brand, requiring a brand re-launch, new website and reservations systems.

A new identity was inspired by the Scottish tartan pattern that flew with British Airways 20 years ago and the Loganair Tartan is registered as number 11744 in the Scottish Register of Tartans.

2019 onwards ...

The route network has grown with now over 70 routes to and from; Scotland, England, the Channel Islands, Belgium, Isle of Man, Norway, Ireland, Denmark and Germany. New interline arrangements have been agreed with some of the world’s leading airlines to further enhance connectivity for our customers.

Loganair has also introduced Embraer jets to the fleet to enhance the destination offering and improve customer experience.

Where to next?