Joint statement from Teesside Airport and Loganair

Teesside Airport and Loganair have been working in partnership for the past 18months to deliver quick, convenient and regular services for local people to popular domestic destinations.

This valued partnership is set to continue, with Loganair flights taking off from Teesside to major UK cities.

There has been encouraging progress as the aviation industry recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, with bookings beginning to improve once again.

However, a recent significant increase in Heathrow’s take-off and landing fees has led to a significant increase in costs.

This, coupled with global oil prices affecting the cost of aviation fuel, means that the London Heathrow route from Teesside has become unviable and will end in two weeks.

The Teesside to Southampton service will also stop as a result of the cessation of the London service as it cannot be accommodated on the remaining Loganair aircraft.

Phil Forster, Managing Director of Teesside International Airport, said: “I’d like to thank all of our loyal passengers who have been supporting this service since its launch and apologise for the inconvenience this will cause. Rising costs across the industry have meant that the route is no longer viable and not something we could support without passing that on to our passengers.

“While slowly recovering, business flights were still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels, immediately putting the route at a disadvantage. The aviation industry is also facing a challenging and complex time from a range of other external factors which we, as an airport, are working hard to mitigate.

“Loganair remains a committed partner to our airport, and we are working alongside other operators to increase our routes and destinations to give local people an airport they can be proud of. We are also seeing hugely strong forward bookings on our summer holiday routes with Ryanair and TUI, proving people want to get away and brighter days are ahead.”

Kay Ryan, Chief Commercial Officer for Loganair, said: “I am extremely disappointed that Loganair will no longer provide a London Heathrow service due to rising costs, and completely understand the decision taken for all the reasons outlined.

“Customers affected by the cancellation will receive either an alternative routing if applicable, or a refund should they prefer that option.

“Those customers who booked their Heathrow travel via one our code share partners will receive any applicable alternatives direct from the airline they booked with, and not Loganair.

“We thank Teesside International airport for their support over the last 12 months, and looking forward to continuing our excellent working relationship.”

Passengers booked to travel to Southampton will be offered alternative flights or a full refund.

Passengers booked to travel to London Heathrow will be offered a full refund.