In a surprise announcement Scottish airline Loganair has cancelled its Embraer 145 jet service into Heathrow from the Isle of Man.

This takes effect from Wednesday 11 August.

The airline continues to serve the island from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Jersey, Liverpool and Manchester airports.

The route was the equivalent of a PSO (public service obligation) and was supported by the Isle of Man government which has withdrawn its subsidy.

Loganair Chief Commercial Officer Kay Ryan said: “We regret having to take this decision to cancel the Heathrow service and also very much regret the inconvenience to our customers.  The sharp rise in costs of operating services at London’s premier airport coupled to the slower-than-expected rebound in passenger numbers after the pandemic mean that the route is not viable unless it has financial support from the Isle of Man Government”.

Whether the fact that Loganair uses T2, and its inconvenience for connectivity to BA in T5, may have been a contributing factor for the route's commercial failure is a point of discussion.  The airline's Teesside operation also uses T2.

www.loganair.co.uk