Loganair has retired the last of their Saab 340 fleet after more than 24 years of service, with a VIP send-off of the last Saab flight conducted by the airline. Flight LM340 – which was named after the iconic aircraft – started its last day of operations by flying a return service between Kirkwall and Aberdeen and then flew from Kirkwall to Inverness before departing for its last in-service flight down to Glasgow Airport. The fight on Thursday also marked the 41st anniversary of the first Saab 340 flight worldwide.
A workhorse of the skies and the former mainstay of Loganair’s islands services, the airline’s 18 Saab 340s completed more than 430,000 flights, both passenger and cargo and carried more than 8 million customers over their lifetime. During the Covid-19 pandemic, two of the airline’s Saab 340s were converted to be used as additional air ambulances. This ensured remote patients could access vital healthcare on the mainland.
The Saab 340s are being replaced by Loganair’s new ATR turboprops aircraft, which are larger, quieter, and more efficient, allowing Loganair to carry up to 45% more customers on some routes and supporting its ambition of offering greater numbers of lower airfares. The ATR fleet will also help to boost the resilience of Loganair as there is greater availability of pilots licensed to fly the aircraft.
Loganair’s last Saab 340 flight was flown by Captain Eddie Watt, who celebrates his 65th birthday just one day after this flight and will retire from the business. A native of the Shetland Islands, Eddie is Loganair’s longest-serving pilot, after joining the airline on the 1st of October 1996. He is renowned among crews and customers for his commentaries from the cockpit and was joined by his wife, Rosemary, who was among the passengers on board. The flight was crewed by Lionel McClean, also completing his last commercial flight before retiring in April, and Nichola Charlish, who is Loganair’s longest-serving cabin crew member in Aberdeen. LM340 touched down to a salute by water cannons and a piper on the tarmac before taxiing into Loganair’s hangar.
Commenting on the final flight, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Saab Regional Aircraft, Kent Lindgren who was on board the flight, said, ”Loganair has been a valued customer and operator of Saab regional aircraft for a quarter of a century. Professional operators are essential to any aircraft’s success, and Loganair really stepped up to form an important part of the Saab 340 and 2000 community. Flying in some of the world’s harshest environments, Loganair’s operation has been of immense value to Saab, both as a testament to the quality of the platforms and for the technical feedback this has given us. Saab would like to thank Loganair for 25 years of safe Saab operations, serving so many Scottish communities and allowing regions and relationships to prosper.”
Also commenting was the CEO of Loganair, Jonathan Hinkles who said, “It really is a historic moment for Loganair. The Saab 340s have been essential to our operation of island services over the years, connecting remote communities with the mainland and delivering over 8 million customers along with food, newspapers, pets, and mail. As someone whose aviation journey was prompted by a strong passion for flying, I am personally very sad to see these aircraft go, but we look forward to introducing our new ATR fleet to our customers, who will love the space and comfort they offer. Today, we celebrate another special retirement with the departure of Captain Eddie Watt after 34 years of service. He has made a remarkable contribution to Loganair, and we wish him well on his next chapter.”
