Loganair to expand Heathrow operation with BA slots lease
Ilaria Grasso MacolaLoganair will expand into Heathrow from May after securing a lease for 30 additional slots a week from British Airways.
The carrier said on Tuesday (28 March) that having capacity at Britain’s primary hub will boost regional connectivity as well as worldwide connections.
Details on specific routes will be announced in the coming days, the airline said.
“Having taken these important first steps ourselves to provide new connectivity to and from the UK regions under this arrangement, it’s now essential for the UK government to initiate the process needed to reform competition remedies to provide access to Heathrow for the UK regions,” said chief executive Jonathan Hinkles.
The arrangement comes as the Glasgow-based carrier has repeatedly called on the government to reform the competition rules for airport slots. Under current legislation, airport slots are auctioned to the highest bidder and, according to Hinkles, this hurts smaller carriers such as Loganair.
“It’s unacceptable that these slots are being auctioned off,” he told FlightGlobal in February. “Access to our national hub for regional services is critical.”
The campaign has gathered support from the likes of Heathrow outgoing boss John Holland-Kaye, who last month said that Heathrow’s expansion via a third runway would boost the airport’s role as a regional hub.
Ilaria Grasso Macola
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