Carlisle airport to resume flights after 25 years

Scheduled passenger flights will operate from Carlisle Lake District Airport for the first time in 25 years, a Scottish airline has announced.

Loganair will connect the Cumbria airport with London Southend, Belfast and Dublin from June.

The carrier will use 34-seat Saab 340B aircraft to operate eight flights on weekdays and 12 at weekends.

Kate Willard, head of corporate projects at Stobart Group, which owns the airport, said: “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.”

The announcement was welcomed by tourism and business groups.

One-way fares between Carlisle and London Southend will start at £44.99, including 20kg checked baggage and in-flight refreshments.

Loganair serves more than 40 routes across the UK, Republic of Ireland and Norway.

Carlisle MP John Stevenson said: “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.”

Carlisle’s last commercial passenger flight was in 1993.