Loganair urged to introduce farer fairs as islanders ‘priced out’ of lifeline services
Airline needs to look again at its fare structure and bring prices down, says MSP
Pressure is sky high for fairer air fares to be introduced by Loganair, as islanders face being “priced out” of lifeline flights.
Some islanders are choosing price over convenience when it comes to key transport routes such as Kirkwall to Aberdeen, with flights costing as much as eight times the price of a ferry journey.
NHS Orkney told The Orcadian this week that it has seen a six per cent cost hike in patient travel, as rising air fares squeeze budgets across the community.
Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has called on the Scottish Government to introduce a strategy for air services across the Highlands and Islands, this week, and for Loganair to develop plans for fairer pricing “sooner rather than later”.
Criticism of Loganair’s fare structure — and its treatment of islanders — has been mounting in recent months.
A temporary halt on weekday flights between Inverness, Kirkwall and Sumburgh this summer raised serious questions about the company’s commitment to island communities — as did comments made by its head of government and corporate affairs, Simon McNamara.
Loganair swiftly rowed back on Mr McNamara’s “incorrect” assertion that dropping the Air Discount Scheme (ADS) for islanders would not affect its profitability — just a week after it was accused of hoarding revenue from a fuel surcharge.
At the start of October, Mr McArthur demanded answers after The Stornoway Gazette reported that a dossier sent to the chairman of Holyrood’s transport committee claimed Loganair received around £2.1 million in excess revenue over six months by increasing the surcharge on fuel.
The airline in turn has said it had not seen the dossier and that the claims were “unverified”.
This week, The Orcadian can share that money spent on transporting medical patients south has gone up six per cent on this time, last year, despite the numbers travelling remaining stable.
The authority’s medical director, Dr Anna Lamont, said: “Patient travel remains an essential part of how healthcare is delivered for Orkney.
“In 2025/26 NHS Orkney spent around £1.9 million supporting patients to reach care that cannot be provided locally, and around £1.6 million of that was air fares.
“Our travel team supported more than 5,500 bookings for patients, escorts and families, most of them to Aberdeen, and around 44 per cent were day returns — a patient flying out in the morning, attending an appointment and coming home the same evening.
“Demand has been steady over the last two years, with NHS Orkney leading Scotland in take up of Near Me remote digital consultations with specialists.
“What is changing is the cost of each journey. Fares rose by around seven to nine per cent last year, and because NHS-funded patient travel is excluded from the Air Discount Scheme, the Board pays standard fares in full, for every seat, on routes where island residents travelling privately pay much less.
“The summer reduction of the Kirkwall to Inverness service showed how directly decisions about lifeline routes reach into healthcare, and we will keep making the case that the health consequences of route, fare and timetable decisions should be considered when they are made.”
One Orkney expat’s call for action, this week, came as she was quoted over £600 for a return ticket between Kirkwall and Edinburgh.
Caroline Haxton urged politicians to get on top of the issue in a social media post about her plight, and claims that the same flights in 2018 would have cost her around half the price.
“It absolutely puts anyone off going home by flying that is for sure, especially when you read about the issues that there are with flights on a regular basis,” said Mrs Haxton, who is from Stromness but now lives in Perthshire.
“It is such a shame to see such a vital service diminished to the extent that it has over the last decades.
“I appreciate that it needs to be financially viable, of course, but how can the cost of the same flight have doubled in just over eight years? The distance hasn’t got any further!
“Flying virtually empty planes up and down cannot be viable.
“Having paid £300 to fly return to Spain recently, I am struggling to find the justification for such a huge amount, for half the scheduled flying time, and a fraction of the distance.”
Calling for urgent action, this week, Mr McArthur shared hopes that Loganair are developing plans for a fairer pricing structure.
“The cost of Loganair fares has continued to climb in recent years, meaning that even with the Air Discount Scheme, many islanders have been priced out of using these lifeline services,” said the MSP.
“While I recognise the financial pressure the aviation sector is under at the moment, and it’s in no one’s interest for Loganair to become financially unviable, more must be done to make these services affordable and accessible.
“In the longer term, this will require Scottish Government to implement a strategy for air services across the region, recognising the unique role they play in supporting rural and island communities.
“In the meantime, Loganair needs to look again at its fare structure and bring prices down.
“From my recent discussions with Loganair’s senior management, I know that plans are being developed but we need to see these in place sooner rather than later”.
Loganair told The Orcadian, this week, that it does not comment publicly on individual passenger complaints.
The company was not in a position to provide a response to criticism of its pricing in time for this week’s print deadline on Tuesday, but promised a detailed update on this matter, later this week.
No update had been received at the time of this article’s publication online.