Loganair renewal programme takes off

Loganair has introduced the first of 13 aircraft to be completely transformed as part of the airline’s £3.5 million renewal programme for its Saab 340 fleet.

Named ‘The Spirit of Orkney’ in acknowledgment of the links between Loganair and one of the many island communities it has served during the last 54 years, the aircraft’s interior and exterior have been completely overhauled at a cost of almost £270,000.

The interior of the Saab 340 has been completely stripped out and renewed – as a company video shows – to provide enhanced comfort. The final touch of the renewal project saw the aircraft painted in franchise partner Flybe’s new purple branding. It is the fourth Loganair-owned aircraft to feature Flybe’s distinctive exterior colour branding.

The three-year Saab 340 renewal project is part of a wider £15 million investment programme previously announced by Flybe franchise partner Loganair, which in the 2015/16 financial year includes:

• £4m on the purchase of two 50-seater Saab 2000 aircraft.
• £1.5m to buy a 31-seater Dornier 328 turboprop.
• £6m investment in a new spares hub at Glasgow Airport which now houses the most regularly used parts to allow for faster and more efficient servicing and repairs.

Loganair’s engineering crews also co-ordinated the renewal project to be completed in conjunction with the aircraft’s Heavy Maintenance Check (HMC).

The company says that the airline’s engineering crews carry out these checks on each aircraft in the Loganair fleet every 36 months. The intensive process involves stripping back the aircraft to the basic airframe structure, which is then scrutinised using X-ray machines to ensure its integrity.

Both engines and the flight control surfaces are removed to give access to the aircraft’s structure and internal systems. This enables parts to be checked, cleaned, lubricated and replaced, if required, before the aircraft is rebuilt and rigorously tested.

In total, £350,000 is invested in each HMC carried out by Loganair, this is separate to the recently announced £15m investment programme.

Loganair – who have been under scrutiny over reliability of services over recent months – say that the combined renewal and maintenance work was completed by a team of 32 engineers working in shifts seven days a week. Approximately 7000 man hours were invested in the process.