Tuesday 14 March 2017 9:02 am

Loganair’s Dundee-London Stansted air link has been secured until 2019 after £3.7m deal

The future of a "vital" air link between London Stansted and Dundee City Airport has been secured for another two years after the government announced it had plugged £1.8m into it.

The public service obligation (PSO) agreed between the UK government, Transport Scotland and Dundee City Council, will guarantee nearly £3.7m to keep the route open over the 201-18 and 2018-19 financial years.

The service, operated by Loganair, will see two return flights each weekday and one return flight on a Sunday.

The UK government will contribute 50 per cent of the total funds, with the Scottish government putting in £1.4m and Dundee City Council chipping in with £400,000.

Aviation minister Lord Ahmad said:

Passengers and businesses will continue to benefit from the connectivity this route provides. It will further boost trade and tourism opportunities will continue to flourish in Scotland.

Regional airports are vital to our long-term economic strategy, and we are committed to strengthening links across the whole country and in particular ensuring access to London to further boost growth across the whole of the UK.

The government maintains regional air links through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund, which can be used to protect important air connections to London which may otherwise be lost.

It follows the government's first backing for a PSO in Northern Ireland, with £3.8m going towards a Londonderry to London air route, after current operator Ryanair opted to stop serving the air link at the end of March.

BMI Regional has been chosen as the preferred operator for the route between City of Derry Airport and London Stansted, after a competitive tender process by Derry City & Strabane District Council.

That service will include two return flights each day, except for Saturdays which will have one flight each way.