‘Active’ talks on new Derry airport routes

Jonathan Hinkles spoke to the ‘Journal’ after arriving in the city this week with Commercial Director Kay Ryan to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the inaugural Loganair flight from Glasgow to Derry in 1979.

Mr Hinkles said the airline, which operates flights from Derry to Stansted and Glasgow, as well as Manchester from May 24, was keen to continue to develop its partnership with the airport and to offer more routes and options to passengers.

One of the key areas currently being discussed is a flight from CODA to the Midlands.

Mr Hinkles said: “The airport is very keen to see a link re-established, in some shape or form, with one of the Midlands airports and that’s something we’re actively talking about. There are also a number of other small possibilities. There were flights at weekends for many years from Derry to Jersey. That’s somewhere we fly to from a number of other places on Loganair’s route network - is that something that would work here next year? That’s all the sort of thing we’re looking at in order to build on where we are.”

Mr Hinkles confirmed that Loganair is also participating in the tender for the Derry to Stansted route, which opened this week and is “looking forward to competing to remain an essential part of that key cornerstone of Derry airport’s whole existence.” Mr Hinkles and Ms Ryan flew to Derry on the same type of plane used for the first flight 40 years ago.