Loganair is to resume direct flights between Aberdeen and Oslo this summer, three years after axing them.
It is part of an expansion creating 20 new jobs in the Granite City.
The restoration of the service to and from Norway’s capital is a boost for Aberdeen International Airport (AIA) after a difficult couple of years.
Operating year-round, the first flights will take off on June 13.
The service will initially be five days a week both ways – daily except Wednesdays and Saturdays – but this will increase to also include Wednesdays from September 7.
Loganair’s expansion at Aberdeen will see us offering our largest-ever schedule in summer 2022.”
Jonathan Hinkles, chief executive, Loganair.
Loganair will use its 49-seat Embraer 145 Regional Jet aircraft on the route, which is also served by Scandinavian airline SAS.
The Scottish carrier’s weekday flights will leave Aberdeen at 8.30am, arriving in Oslo at 11.05am local time.
Westbound flights will take off from Oslo at 11.40am local time and arrive in Aberdeen at 12.20pm.
Loganair’s Sunday service will leave Aberdeen at the later time of 1.30pm and depart Oslo at 4.40pm.
One-way fares from £109.99
Fares start from £109.99 one-way, with all tickets inclusive of free checked baggage allowance and in-flight refreshments.
The price also includes Loganair’s GreenSkies levy, launched last year to fully offset carbon emissions from every flight through an accredited environmental programme.
Loganair, currently celebrating its 60th year, said a training programme for its newly recruited AIA-based pilots and cabin crew was well under way.
Many of them are former employees of Flybe, which folded nearly two years ago.
Glasgow Airport-based Loganair, said the return of the Oslo route would restore connectivity to and from the Norwegian capital for both business and leisure travellers.
Chief executive Jonathan Hinkles added: “It’s an important and long-standing route at Aberdeen, and one which we’re pleased to step into following the cutbacks which other airlines have understandably made during the pandemic.
“Loganair’s expansion at Aberdeen will see us offering our largest-ever schedule in summer 2022.”
AIA operations director Mark Beveridge said: “On the back of some great announcements from Loganair with their 60th year celebrations, we warmly welcome this new service to Oslo.
“Loganair is a valued airline partner at our airport and we look forward to this route starting later in the year.”
Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce chief executive Russell Borthwick said the Granite City, with its internationally-focused economy, was more heavily reliant on air links than anywhere else in the UK.
Key business market
He added: “Protecting existing and adding new connections to key hubs and cities will be central to our recovery.
“Loganair is more than playing its part in this and we welcome today’s announcement.
“This will provide access to a key business market as Aberdeen seeks to establish itself as a global low carbon energy hub.”
The route will also make it easier for Norwegians to visit the north-east, Mr Borthwick said.
Loganair axed its previous Aberdeen-Oslo service in June 2019.
At the time, it said the decision, while “regrettable”, would allow it to “further evaluate our options on other new destinations we are currently investigating”.
Biggest operator at AIA
It is now the largest airline at AIA and following today’s announcement will serve 14 destinations from Aberdeen.
The carrier said it hoped to add more routes from the Granite City as air travel recovers from the pandemic.
It added its AIA operation now employed more than 120 staff, including 36 engineers, while supporting a further 100 indirect jobs.
Loganair’s hangar at Aberdeen is the primary home of maintenance work on its growing fleet of Embraer Regional Jets and ATR regional turboprop aircraft.
Loganair: Airline has faced ‘the most challenging’ year in its history
