Whilst the IAC contract was very lucrative for Flightline, the loss of that contract will undoubtedly cause some restructuring and disruption in the short term. However the days of the 146 are numbered in many airlines, including Flightline and with the RJ85 being too heavy for SCS, there was no obvious replacement. Rumours of Flightline moving on after this contract have been going round for months and I am personally not surprised even though the early end of the contract did raise many heads. Flightline has during recent times, been facing a crossroads as it effectively starts a new chapter with the MD-83, which is where any future growth will be concentrated on. The 170 seat ACMI market is highly competitive but also very lucrative and the 146 fleet will be slowly phased out over time. With Aberdeen ending then the company will be able to fully concentrate on the MD-83. Despite the MD-83 being a bit old and a bit of a fuel guzzler, it has the range and the capacity to match the 737 and A320 family and during the summer months some of the MD-83 fleet are flying night and day, so the future is still potentially bright for Flightline after the demise of the Aberdeen operation.
As for who is taking over? My money is on Flybe since they have already established a base in ABZ with the LGW route and the Dash 8 Q400 can probably match if not perform slightly better than the 146! You won't be seeing another jet on this route I am afraid!