Loganair is launching summer routes from Manchester to three remote Scottish island groups.

From late June until early September, Mancunians will be able to access direct flights to the north isles of Orkney and Shetland, and the Western Isles of the Outer Hebrides.

The Orkney route begins of June 22, with flights both ways taking place on Mondays and Fridays.   The launch date of the new service coincides with the world-famous St Magnus Festival in Orkney – sponsored by Loganair – which celebrates the islands’ rich cultural heritage through a renowned programme of music concerts, many of which are held in Kirkwall’s spectacular 12^th century St Magnus Cathedral.

Services to Shetland commence on Saturday June 23 and will run through to September 1.   The first ever non-stop flights from Manchester to Sumburgh will offer excellent access to the rugged scenery of Shetland and the islands’ incredible hospitality and range of scenery.

In a similar move, the first ever non-stop services from Manchester to Stornoway in the Western Isles will operate from Saturday June 23 to September 1.   The 95-minute flight will bring new levels of convenience to customers flying to the Western Isles, and Loganair is already looking at means to add a second weekly flight on this unique route during the 2018 holidays.

Connections to all three islands are available on other days of the week via Loganair’s frequent jet service from Manchester to Inverness which are carefully designed to connect with its onward services to all three islands at Inverness.   With an increasing trend towards holidaying in the UK as a result of foreign exchange rate changes and security concerns, the airline is expecting a bumper year for domestic tourism and is introducing these new services to improve customer choice.

Loganair is also adding a new service from Manchester to the Gateway to the Fjords – the Norwegian city of Bergen – in 2018.   The one-stop service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays throughout the year, complementing other airlines’ less frequent non-stop flights which only operate for part of the year.  Flights will have a short stop at Inverness but will be operated by the same Embraer 145 jet aircraft from Manchester to Bergen.

Scotland’s Airline also serves Manchester from Glasgow, Inverness and Norwich, with frequent weekday flights on all three routes.  It started flights in its own right, after over two decades flying under franchise agreements with other airlines, on September 1 2017.

Managing director Jonathan Hinkles said: “It’s always a pleasure to introduce new routes, whether year-round or seasonal. Manchester has become very important for us, and our new non-stop links from Manchester to the three main island groups to which we fly are an exciting new development.  The flights will provide direct access to the islands and will also enable island residents to fly to Manchester to access the growing range of onward flights available as Manchester’s status as an international hub goes from strength to strength.”

Julian Carr, Manchester Airport’s Aviation Director, said: “It’s great to see after just a few months Loganair is expanding its operations out of Manchester with several new routes.

“Not only do these open up Scotland to the people of the North, they also provide direct easy access for Scots looking to visit the excellent city of Manchester and all it has to offer.

“We look forward to the routes commencing and seeing Loganair continue to grow out of the UK’s global gateway in the North.”