Loganair is now the UK’s largest regional airline with more than 40 aircraft serving 44 destinations in the UK, the Isle of Man, Ireland and Europe.
The airline had the busiest summer ever in 2022, carrying a record number of passengers.
At the beginning of 2022, Loganair secured a new five-year contract with Royal Mail to continue flying mail and parcels to and from the Highlands and Islands, connecting to Royal Mail’s national network each day and night.
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To cope with the continued increase in volumes four larger ATR 72-500 freighter aircraft have been introduced with another on order to replace the Saab 340 freighters.
The older Saab aircraft are being retired, not only to better support the new contract but also as part of wider fleet renewal plans which belong to the company´s GreenSkies Initiative. The airline operates its own ground handling in the Highlands and Islands.
Consequently, Loganair has taken action to modernise its ground equipment fleet with a smarter and greener GSE. The airline introduced Power Stow Rollertrack Conveyors to optimise and speed up the handling process, provide better working conditions for ramp agents and change to electric belt loaders.
The Rollertrack extendable belt loaders are supporting Loganair´s operations at six stations: Aberdeen, Benbecula, Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh.
Maurice Boyle, Chief Operations Officer for Loganair, says: “With the Power Stow units, we are seeing a big reduction in delays with the bulk-loaded aircraft compared to when we were manual handling using conventional belt loaders. The investment is saving us time, saving on labour and it does exactly what it’s meant to do. “The mail-loaded aircraft are hard work to load and unload manually. The ATR carries double what a Saab carries and the distances in the hold are much greater. “The handlers absolutely love the Power Stow product, it´s made their job easier, there is less risk of back injuries and there are several other human factor benefits as well. “There is no downside to the product. The operators´ feedback is really good and they particularly like the silent and fume-free equipment.”
