Daily newspapers will only touch down in Shetland in mid-afternoon for the next two weeks due to a lack of space on the early morning mail flight as a result of the “rapid” rise in the volume of parcels being sent to the isles.
Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles said papers should start arriving into Shetland earlier in the day again on weekdays when an early morning passenger plane from Aberdeen is reinstated to the airline’s schedule in mid-June.
The increase in deliveries to Shetland has meant that a special arrangement put in place during the lockdown between Loganair and the Royal Mail for newspapers to be carried on the early morning mail flight has ended due to a lack of space.
Loganair chief Hinkles explained that newspapers normally fly to Shetland on the first scheduled flight of the day from Aberdeen to Sumburgh.
Since the start of the pandemic, though, there has only been one scheduled flight from Aberdeen as Loganair moved to a skeleton service – with the plane departing at 1.45pm.
“With this in mind, Loganair made arrangements with Royal Mail for newspapers to be carried on the Royal Mail dedicated freighter aircraft which leaves Aberdeen at 07:20 on six days per week,” Hinkles said.
“However, the volume of mail – particularly parcels – to Shetland has continued to rise rapidly in recent weeks to the point where there now simply isn’t enough space on the Royal Mail flight to carry newspapers together with the mail, which must travel to meet the Universal Service Obligation.”
From mid-June, there will be an early flight again.
“For the two weeks in the meantime, Loganair will fly newspapers on the first available flight of the day north which will be the 13:45 departure from Aberdeen on weekdays and 09:30 on Saturdays.”