Passengers travelling from Carlisle Lake District Airport (CLDA) can now look forward to flights serving the South of England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, courtesy of Loganair.
The Scottish carrier, which will connect Cumbria and the Lake District to London Southend, Belfast City and Dublin City, with eight flights per-day throughout the working week and a total of 12 at weekends. Flights went on sale today (12 March 2018) with services commencing on 4 June.
“We’re delighted to become the first operator at the new Carlisle Lake District Airport and will be opening up Loganair’s services to a whole new range of customers,” said Jonathan Hinkles, managing director of Loganair. He was commenting on the fact that when the new service launches, it will be the first time since 1993 that CLDA has offered commercial and business passenger flights.
Kate Willard, head of corporate projects at Stobart Group (which owns CLDA) said: “Stobart group is committed to delivering a brilliant air travel experience across the UK and Ireland. We are therefore delighted to be announcing flights with Loganair connecting London, Belfast and Dublin with Carlisle and the Lake District.
“There is huge demand from London, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to visit Carlisle, which is home to major businesses and serves as a gateway to the Lake District, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites and South Scotland.”
Having welcomed 45 million visitors to the county last year, Gill Haigh managing director of Cumbria Tourism, revealed that a large number of these were day trippers to the Lakes. “The new flights from Carlisle Lake District Airport will be a major boost for Cumbria’s connectivity and our £2.72billion tourism industry,” she said.
“Our marketing strategy has a key focus on encouraging visitors to stay in the county as a whole,” Haigh continued before adding: “New flights through Carlisle will create alternative travel options and Cumbria Tourism is working in partnership with the airport to encourage new and existing visitors to enjoy more of our iconic landscapes and world-class experiences.”
Meanwhile Nigel Wilkinson, board member of the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Cumbria LEP is contributing £4.95million to help the airport improve its runway and terminal, an important investment which will enable flights to and from Carlisle and provide wider global access via international hubs.”
Adding to the excitement about the new service to and from CLDA and what it will mean for the local economy, John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle stated: “It is vital that we have the infrastructure to support taking our local economy to the next level. The development of CLDA will have a huge impact on our ability to grow economically. Many local businesses will be able to expand as a result of these new flights and it will also encourage other businesses to choose Cumbria as a viable location.”
