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East Midlands Airport recommences route in response to business demand

Posted: 3 September 2019 | | No comments yet

Loganair services between East Midlands, Inverness and Brussels have commenced as the airline is welcomed as the regional airport’s newest operator.

East Midlands Airport begins operation of new route

The UK’s longest operating airline, Loganair, is recommencing the route between East Midlands, Inverness and Brussels after the route was lost when flybmi ceased operations earlier in 2019.

Both the East Midlands and Brussels have close ties in the manufacturing sector, including Toyota Europe HQ being based in Brussels and Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK based in Derby, which employs over 3,000 members in the Midlands.

In response to the calls from the business community, Loganair and East Midlands Airport have stepped in to secure the routes future, with the backing of the business community.

Jonathan Hinkles, Managing Director at Loganair, said: “East Midlands marks our fourth base in England and we are delighted to be able to restore the much-needed route between East Midlands Airport and Brussels for the benefit of local businesses and to support growth in the region. We’re also pleased to bring Scotland’s Highland Capital, Inverness, closer to the Midlands – greatly reducing journey times and improving accessibility for everyone. Despite being new to East Midlands, Loganair has been operating for almost 60 years – serving over 70 routes in six countries. We’re delighted to add East Midlands into our network.”

Karen Smart, East Midlands Airport’s Managing Director, said: “The addition of Loganair to the existing fleet of operators based at EMA was achieved by working in collaboration with Toyota. Airlines are more likely to want to fly from here if the business case stacks up and, thanks to Toyota’s commitment to use it regularly, Loganair were willing to step in and not only fill a vacancy but launch a brand-new route to Scotland for our passengers. This demonstrates what is possible with the right business backing.”

Christine Cooke, Procurement Senior Manager at Toyota, which has bases in both Brussels and the East Midlands region, commented: “Toyota UK has very close ties with our Head Office in Brussels which necessitate two-way traffic on a frequent basis. Having a reliable, convenient and efficient route is key to us and the new EMA flight will be good for us in terms of maintaining those links.”

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