George Nugent Travels

Having travelled a lot internationally over the last two years I decided it was time to travel somewhere much closer to home.

Campbeltown is a town on the Kintyre peninsula and is, as the crow flies, sixty miles away from Glasgow. Despite this access to the town without a car is limited to either bus or plane (I will explain more about the service later on).

This flight was a series of firsts for me. It was my first time flying with Loganair and was also my first time flying this particular aircraft type.

What Makes This Flight Different?

This flight is part of a Government subsidy scheme called “Public Service Order”. Flights from Glasgow to Barra, Tiree and Campbeltown would not be economically viable for Loganair to run without financial support.

These flights provide a lifeline service to the communities they serve and reduce the journey time from Campbeltown to Glasgow from 270 minutes to approximately 90 minutes.

Loganair operate flights as part of a four year contract and must ensure they meet specific requirements, including resident fares and seats reserved for medical travel.

For this route in particular flights operate 2x daily Monday to Friday.

The Aircraft and It’s Unique Livery

This particular flight was operated by a “Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter” which was delivered to Highland and Island Airport Limited in 2015.

This aircraft is leased by Loganair and wears a “Flag of Scotland” livery. The registration number “G-HIAL” is a reference to the aircraft owners (The G is required for all UK aircraft registration numbers).

This particular aircraft has 19 economy seats, however, seats 1B and 1C are not available for booking as this is used as crew storage.

Flight Details

Airline – Loganair

Aircraft Type – Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter

Seat Number – 7A

Flight Number – LM448

Departure Date – 12/10/2023

Price Paid – £59.50

Campbeltown Airport Experience

The airport is just over three miles away from the town centre and is not served by any type of public transport, therefore you will either need a car or a taxi. I used a taxi which will cost approximately £10.

The airport is really basic and consists of a check-in desk which all passengers must visit when they arrive. Tea and Coffee is available from a trolley and a donation is expected if you use it.

The airport has a real community feel about it, and the staff member “Jane” who was checking people in recognised and knew about half of the passengers who were travelling and was happily talking to everyone when they arrived.

Unlike Glasgow, there is no security check here, instead passengers are asked to verbally confirm they are not carrying any dangerous items and are safe to fly – this agreement has been implemented at some other airports owned by Highlands and Island airports – but remember if you are flying from Glasgow to Campbeltown you will need to clear security in Glasgow.

The Flight

Our aircraft arrived from Glasgow at 1707 and the inbound passengers and bag – yes, bag – were off the aircraft within minutes.

Boarding for our flight was shouted out, with passengers in rows two and three boarding first. I was the last to board so I could ask where to put my bag as I had an exit row.

My seat was right by the door and actually folds down, a bit like something you would see on a bus.

The first officer verbally confirmed I was happy to sit in an exit row and pointed out how to open the door in an emergency.

This aircraft has no cabin crew, meaning that the first officer carries out a quick safety demonstration – I suspect most people on the flight have heard it a million times before, but it is still required for people like me who have never flown this aircraft before.

After a very short taxi we departed Campbeltown at 1726 which was nine minutes ahead of schedule.

We departed to the West before turning right and heading North East towards Glasgow.

The weather was typical for Scotland and was cloudy for the majority of the flight. Despite the aircraft size the ride was excellent as we trundled towards Glasgow.

We reached a maximum height of 6,150 ft before beginning our decent into Glasgow. The active runway at the time was runway 23 meaning we flew past the airport before turning right and coming in to land.

We arrived in Glasgow at 1750, approximately 25 minutes ahead of schedule and taxied onto our stand within 60 seconds of landing.

Glasgow Airport Arrivals Experience – Did I Miss A Major Geopolitical Event?

When given the all clear to get off the plane we were asked to wait for all passengers to get off before being taken to the terminal.

The reason for this sections title is that we were taken to the dedicated arrivals area for Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

This confused me initially, however I realised one passenger had requested assistance and was met at the aircraft by the airport assistance team who transferred them to a wheelchair.

As there were no arrivals from Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man we used their arrival area as this avoids the need to use stairs or lifts and ultimately made life easier for all passengers.

I was out of the airport by 1800 and made my way into Paisley by bus to make my train.

What Are My Final Thoughts?

Overall this flight was fantastic and was certainly unique. Campbeltown airport is a totally different experience from Glasgow, and despite Glasgow being a busy International airport it was good to experience the role it plays in connecting Scotland’s rural communities with Glasgow.

I would happily fly with Loganair again and would absolutely love to fly on the Twin Otter again.