Saabdriver1
Indeed. I did a sightseer flight KOI-NDY-SOY-KOI (WRY-PPW was full!) and the scenery is stunning.

incidentally, the pilot, when boarding passengers, asked who was the sight seer passenger to ensure I had a window seat! It was like getting into a taxi!

southamptonavgeek

Looks like more ATR72’s are planned to to arrive before July. Based on the current schedule LM are planning to base 3 ATR72’s at IOM from 1st July. They also plan to nighstop a further 2 ATR72’s at ABZ and LSI.

callsign operated freighter AT72 EI-SLW between EGNX and EGAA today apparently on the Amazon contract for ASL, who own the airframe. Not sure if this will be an ongoing arrangement, if so it will end RVL Aviation's short spell on the contract with their SAAB.

Edit: been told that it may not have been a Logan crew

ASL haven't run one of their ATRs on the route since ( full ) Brexit.

RVL Saab is due to take over from the current aircraft operating the DHL flights to/from IOM in the near future. So it already has a planned future use.

Loganair Moving flights from City Of Derry to Stansted to Heathrow?
Seems to be added on Heathrow Timetable LDY-LHR from 28 May

Arrive LHR 09:05 Depart 10:30
Arrive LHR 19:05 Depart 19:40

2 times day daily

flights not on booking engine yet

allan1987

Looks like it indeed. FRI showing as operating 3 times from the start of July.

Fantastic if it has. Don't they code share with BA?

Not always. On select routes only. I doubt any of the rash of new routes will from the outset.

By the looks of things most of the BA services are covered using the current LM offering into LHR.

Here’s hoping this doesn’t change.

A lot of the Scottish services do have a BA code (when connecting onto a BA flight). IOM-LHR, SOU-NCL, SOU-EDI, SOU-GLA all have BA codeshares (as did MAN-GLA I think) but MME-LHR doesn't (although it is still early days). I guess it depends if BA feels that LDY is a threat to their BHD route and if MME is a threat to NCL? However, LM have got the LHR slots from somewhere and in the grand scheme of things, LM are not going to take much away from BA.

Yeah I just realised MME-LHR isn't included there sorry. I thought I heard it was. With a maximum of 144 seats on a Friday in both directions I wouldn't be sure that they (BA) will lose sleep over it. I'm sure it'll develop from here and here's hoping that a BA codeshare is in place for both MME/LDY. The benefits to my region and LDY particularly will be profound, something completely out of the blue and hopefully the affinity the catchment here have garnered with STN over 20+ years will come across too, even if it remains almost exclusively P2P travel initially.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-56747295

:bored: I could be unnecessarily cynical, but I can't see this working, and wasn't it reputed to be a route that FlyBe operated by chance rather than design?

I believe it was to get a jet into NWI for Med routes but actually proved quite popular and was operated during periods as a stand-alone route. It’s two university cities and a gateway to Devon (or the Broads for anyone that fancies it. Remember the land journey between the two is fairly long.

Google maps indicates 5hrs 12 min in light traffic.Given that the direct route includes a transit of the M25 then make that closer to 6 hours normally!!

I recall the loads were good when I used the Flybe NWI-EXT flights. That was on an E195 of course so it will be interesting to see how attractive are the fares on the Loganair 145.

ETOPS

6? It took me more than that to get from the M25 to the edge of Exeter last summer! 5 coming back, 5 each way last time I tried a few years ago. Plus stops to eat.

Todays auditor reports raising concern and uncertainty about finances might put paid to anything marginal. The rapid expansion and covid were always going to cause issue. Tricky times.

Every airline and airport's financial reports being filed recently have the same statement about material uncertainty. It's there in the IAG and easyJet reports using almost exactly the same words. If you read the statement, it simply says that if Covid-19 goes on for ever, the business won't be viable - which is stating the obvious for pretty much the entire travel industry.

I used the Exeter - Norwich route in May 2019 and the load factor was healthy (about 75%) on the EMB195. Quite a number of passengers were connecting at Exeter to and from the Skybus flights to the Scillies (as indeed I was).

LM are currently advertising for cabin crew on the IOM with the closing date for a applications of 30th April.

The schedule still shows that 3 ATR72 aircraft are planned to begin based on the IOM from 1st July. Does anyone know how many cabin crew they are looking to recruit?.


southamptonavgeek

Have heard that LM is still planning to add 3 ATR72’s between now and the beginning of July and they will lease them from Chorus Aviation.

Thr aircraft have been stored at TLS registered EI-GPN/O/P since being returned by Stobart late last year. Prior to that they were operated by BE on behalf of SK and were registered G-FBXC/D/E.

The aircraft are to undergo maintenance and lease transition checks at Exeter Aerospace Services prior to entering service. The first aircraft, EI-GPP, arrived at EXT on 13tb April. This ATR was registered G-FBXE when operated by Flybe.