Loganair cancels Orkney flights after control tower staffing gap

Loganair suspended multiple flights to and from Kirkwall in Orkney after the local air traffic control facility closed on Wednesday. The shutdown, attributed by operators to unforeseen staffing issues, extended into the early hours of Thursday.

Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, which manages the facility, confirmed that the control closure prevented the normal scheduling of aircraft movements. The disruption affected the return service between Edinburgh and Kirkwall, the flight from Aberdeen to Kirkwall on Wednesday, and the Kirkwall to Aberdeen departure on Thursday morning.

The airport operator stated that it could not align the closure with the flight schedule despite attempts to minimize impact. A spokesperson noted that a limited number of flights were affected and apologized for the inconvenience. The operator advised passengers to contact their airlines directly for updated status information.

Loganair confirmed that its services were directly impacted by the loss of control capacity. The airline arranged welfare support and overnight accommodation for passengers stranded during the Wednesday disruption. An additional return service between Edinburgh and Kirkwall was scheduled to depart Edinburgh at 15:30 to assist affected travelers.

The airline acknowledged that the disruption was outside its control and thanked customers for their patience. This incident follows a similar staffing-related closure at Inverness Airport in May. Loganair representatives emphasized their efforts to get passengers to their destinations while managing the operational constraints.