Guernsey Press

Loganair takes on Aurigny on Edinburgh route

Loganair is set to compete with Aurigny on its quietest air route.

Published
Last updated
Loganair will be running its services on Saturdays, with a 4.10pm arrival from Edinburgh and 6.40pm back to Scotland. (33828053)

The Scottish airline is planning to run a direct weekly service between Guernsey and Edinburgh from 24 May to 13 September next year.

Loganair chief commercial officer Luke Lovegrove said the airline was committed to enhancing connectivity.

‘We know that our passengers are always looking for new destinations to explore over summer months,’ he said.

‘We are thrilled that we’ve been able to launch a new direct service between Scotland’s capital and Guernsey.’

The move came as a surprise, as the Edinburgh-Guernsey service has so far this year been the Bailiwick’s quietest air route, with only 2,600 passengers.

The next least-popular route was East Midlands, with 6,400 passengers, which Aurigny has already dropped from next year’s schedules.

But the local airline plans to run the Scottish route on Wednesdays between 21 May and the end of September next year.

Loganair will be running its services on Saturdays, with a 4.10pm arrival from Edinburgh and 6.40pm back to Scotland.

An Aurigny spokeswoman said the route had proved popular last year and it was hoped the competition would strengthen the route.

‘The introduction of Loganair’s summer seasonal Saturday service complements our Wednesday service and we’re hopeful the market will strengthen with the increased weekly frequency, enabling both short and long breaks this summer,’ she said.

The route has had a turbulent history.

Loganair originally flew the service in 2019, but stopped during the pandemic. British Airways ran a direct summer service in 2021 and 2022 to accommodate post-Covid travel.

Aurigny offered a winter service to Edinburgh last year and is currently offering services on Mondays and Thursdays. But it has not always proved to be busy, and when the airline has had to cancel services, there are limited alternative options, with no other nearby airports also serving Guernsey.

In terms of prices, Loganair is charging £89.99 each way for flights, which includes 21kg of luggage.

Aurigny’s prices start from £69.99 each way, but luggage costs extra.

Loganair was formerly a franchise partner of Flybe and has also previously operated flights in its own right to the island from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bournemouth, and it had plans for a Newcastle service in 2020.

But the pandemic and the collapse of Flybe saw the airline disappear from local schedules.

Guernsey Ports head of commercial James Underwood said it was pleased to welcome Loganair back to the island in 2025, after a six-year hiatus.