Loganair has announced that it will be introducing a larger aircraft for its Manx routes a month earlier than originally planned.

The company said it recognised there was increased customer demand for its services between the Isle of Man and Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham.

From the start of October, flights on these routes will therefore be operated using the 70-seat ATR72 instead of the current 48-seat ATR42.

Chief commercial officer Kay Ryan said: ’It is absolutely fantastic to see customer demand steadily increasing on these key routes.

’We had originally anticipated basing the ATR72 on the island from the beginning of November, but forward sales are proving strong enough to allow us to bring that date forward to October 3.

’This will ensure there are enough available seats as travel patterns widen further with the easing of domestic and international restrictions.’

Glasgow-headquartered Loganair maintained the Isle of Man’s passenger air services following the demise of Flybe and the introduction of Covid-19 lockdowns in March 2020.

They operates routes from the island to Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Jersey.

The airline also employs pilots and cabin crew located on the Isle of Man and contracts the maintenance of its aircraft to local company M&A Technical Services, which is based at Ronaldsway Airport.

This news comes as new direct flights from the Isle of Man to the Mediterranean were announced.

They will operate through the summer months next year.

Tour operator FlyDirect will offer the service every Saturday between June 4 and September 17.

Flights will leave the island and fly direct to Palma Airport in Majorca, cutting out any stops at UK airports.

The company has offered direct flights to the Mediterranean from Jersey for many years, but now is expanding its business into the Isle of Man and Guernsey.

The managing director of C. I. Travel Group, Robert Mackenzie, said: ’We are really excited to announce the expansion of our services to the Isle of Man.

’Flights and holidays will be available to book online, and we’re thrilled to be using our near 40 years of experience in the travel industry to offer residents something new.

’Islanders can feel secure knowing that they’re travelling with a regulated and well-established provider with extensive experience of providing exceptional customer service.’

To operate the flights, which will take just under three hour, FlyDirect is partnering with BA CityFlyer, a subsidiary of British Airways.

The FlyDirect flights will go on sale in October, and customers will be able to book online through www.flydirect.co.uk or over the phone.