Airline that flies world's shortest flight route, Loganair plans new codeshare, rolls out new livery

Scottish carrier Loganair, operator of the world's shortest scheduled flight and another that lands on a remote Hebridean beach, is repainting its fleet into tartan colours and seeking new allies as it prepares to go solo after almost a quarter of century flying in the livery of other airlines.

The Glasgow-based company, known for its routes to the far-flung archipelagos of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, has begun transforming its planes with a red, black and gray tail design and the logo "Scotland's Airline" as it prepares for independence at the start of next month. The plaid pattern is listed as entry 11,744 on the official Scottish Register of Tartans.

Loganair is getting its own brand after flying for British Airways from 1994 until 2008 and then for Flybe Group, with which a franchise deal ends on August 31. While Loganair gets the bulk of its £100 million ($165 million) in annual revenue from the tie-up, Managing Director Jonathan Hinkles says it can survive and prosper by leveraging its Scottish credentials more widely.

"We have a strong level of recognition in our core market in the highlands and islands," Hinkles said. "That will carry us through. The task is to establish that affinity where we are not so well known."

The chief said passengers have no loyalty "whatsoever" to Exeter, England-based Flybe, with which Loganair had an acrimonious split over punctuality issues and demands that it pay more to extend the franchise deal.

The 90-Second Trip

Among the 30-strong Loganair fleet are two eight-seat Britten-Norman Islanders used for services within Orkney, including the 1½-minute, 2.7-km flight between Westray and Papa Westray that's the shortest scheduled route in the world, with a record time of 57 seconds in the air in a favourable wind.

Three de Havilland Canada Twin Otter planes are deployed on trips from Glasgow to the Western Isles, including a flight to Barra that lands on a 3.2-km-long strip of sand at different times each day according to the tide. The world's only scheduled beach landing, the service has become a popular tourist draw.