• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

North East Connected

Hopping Across The North East From Hub To Hub

AIRPORT WELCOMES NEW PARTNERSHIP AS LOGANAIR FLIGHTS TAKE OFF

‘A very significant week in delivering our plans for securing the future of Durham Tees Valley airport and its contribution to the region’s economy’

That was how airport Chief Executive Steve Gill greeted the start of Loganair’s new services which will see up to three weekday non-stop flights between the Durham Tees Valley and Aberdeen, as well as a non-stop flight on six days per week linking Durham Tees Valley with Norwich.

Said Mr Gill “The arrival of a well-established airline such as Loganair is exactly in line with the strategy we set out in the business plan for Durham Tees Valley to concentrate on supporting and developing services focussed on providing vital connectivity to the business community.  We are not ruling out developing leisure routes in the future which will need to be driven by local market demand and have alignment with airline strategy. The priority is to secure the future of the airport until such a time that this becomes viable.

“We are delighted that Loganair has shown such confidence in Durham Tees Valley, and believe it marks the start of a successful—and growing—partnership. As well as the new flights, it is especially encouraging that the airline has chosen Durham Tees Valley as its second crew base outside Scotland.

“Alongside Loganair’s arrival other major developments are underway at the airport, including the terminal improvements which are nearing completion, involving the remodelling of the departure lounge, with a new Xpress café and bar, the provision of free unlimited Wi-Fi, together with designated work stations and charging points.”

The start of the new services was celebrated through the airline tradition of a commemorative cake, enjoyed by some of the first passengers on the new Loganair services before they departed.

Both of the routes will provide extra connectivity for the region through a codeshare with Loganair’s sister company bmi Regional.  Passengers travelling via Aberdeen can access easy onward links to Orkney, Shetland, the Danish seaport of Esbjerg and Norway’s capital, Oslo.

Kay Ryan, Loganair’s commercial director said: “It’s fantastic to commence services on these two routes, acting as an important gateway for the energy sector.

“Bookings have been extremely encouraging since tickets to Aberdeen went on sale a few months ago, even more positive when considering this is additional Aberdeen capacity from DTVA. We’ll continue to keep pricing competitive and ensure quality of service remains a major priority.

“The daily link to Norwich is by far the fastest way to travel between the two points, with land transportation taking up to five and a half hours or a number of different rail connections so we’d strongly encourage anyone in the business community with links to either destination to opt for aviation next time they are making the trip.”

The new Logan services are operated by a 34-seat Saab 340B aircraft.   Flights leave DTVA at 07:20 (Mon-Thu), 10:20 (Mon-Thu) and 17:10 (Sun-Fri) and 20:20 (Thu-Fri) for the one-hour sector to Aberdeen.   Return flights from Aberdeen leave at 08:50 (Mon-Thu); 13:00 (Sun-Fri) and 18:50 (Sun-Fri), arriving in DTVA one hour later.

Flights from DTVA to Norwich leave at 14:20 (Sun-Fri), arriving in Norwich at 15:20.   Return flights from Norwich depart at 16:00 (Sun-Fri), arriving in DTVA at 17:00 – saving a five and a half hour road journey.

Lead-in fares for DTVA to Aberdeen International Airport begin at £59.99 each way while prices for a one-way ticket to Norwich will start at £49.99. All Loganair fares include a complimentary 20kg checked baggage allowance and in-flight refreshments.

The airline also enables customers to pay by credit card without surcharge.   Bookings can be made directly via www.loganair.co.uk or via calling Loganair on 0344 800 2855.