Dedicated freight plane now on mail service

Loganair’s new Royal Mail contract to Orkney is now being operated by a dedicated Saab 34 Freighter aircraft on the route.

Since the launch of the contract at the start of March, Loganair has been operating the service using an aircraft borrowed on a short-term lease, but now the RMA Orkney Flyer has taken over.

The new aircraft represents part of a significant investment of over £3m by Loganair as a result of securing the new five-year contract with Royal Mail to provide mail services throughout Scotland – including routes to Orkney and Shetland.

Loganair managing director Jonathan Hinkles said: “The RMA Orkney Flyer name revives a proud aviation tradition, using the classic ‘Royal Mail Aeroplane’ prefix which aircraft flying Orkney’s mail carried from the inception of mail deliveries by air in the 1930s right through to British European Airways’ fleet in the 1960s.

“For both Orkney and Shetland, the introduction of the dedicated Saab 340 Freighter aircraft with a payload of up to 3.5 tonnes means that the mail capacity has doubled versus the previous smaller aircraft used for the six-times-weekly mail delivery flights to each group of islands. Our Orkney Inter-Isles contract, which was recently renewed, also means guaranteed mail deliveries to and from the five outer isles.

“The overall Royal Mail contract is the largest in Loganair’s history, and this latest investment in new aircraft shows our commitment to providing a much higher level of service than previously existed.”

Loganair has also worked with Highlands & Islands Airports (HIAL) to introduce new freight and mail security screening capabilities at Kirkwall and Sumburgh airports to meet the latest regulatory standards, a first for each location.

This new security screening capability means that local businesses such as mail order of luxury food and drink products can be assured that their products will fly out on the dedicated Royal Mail flights.