Staycation Summer? London City Poised To Resume Domestic Flights

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Gearing up for a ‘Great British summer’ holiday season, London City Airport announced Friday that links with key regional tourist destinations in Scotland are being restored. British Airways CityFlyer will restart flights to Edinburgh on April 15th and to Glasgow on May 17th. Meanwhile, Loganair will resume flights from LCY to Dundee on April 16th.

BA CityFlyer ERJ 170 at LCY
BA CityFlyer is returning with two routes to Scotland from London City Airport for summer 2021. Photo: Getty Images

Twice weekly to increase with demand

While international leisure travel remaining off-limits and subject to costly testing once it will be allowed again, the airlines and the airport are betting on Britons vacationing at home this year.

BA CityFlyer’s routes from London City to Edinburgh and Glasgow will begin operating twice weekly, but should the predictions for the holiday season come true, expectations are that the frequencies will increase.

Loganair’s Dundee service will also operate two times a week, making the UK capital accessible for the coastal town residents – and vice versa – in under two hours.

“Regional air connectivity is vital for the recovery of aviation, tourism and the UK economy, which is why we are delighted that our airlines have restored key domestic regional routes,” said Anne Doyere, Head of Aviation at London City Airport, in a statement.

“With travel restrictions to ease further in the coming weeks, many people will be eager to embark on a well-earned holiday or staycation within the UK. The speed, safety and convenience of London City Airport means we are well placed to welcome back our passengers when they are ready to fly again,” she continued.

Loganair Embraer
Regional carrier Loganair will resume flights between London City and Dundee from April 16th. Photo: Getty Images.

Costly testing system may lead to staycations

The idea is to reopen regional routes so that Londoners who may not be able to go abroad this summer can choose to vacation closer to home, with easy access to the three Scottish cities as well as nearby holiday destinations.

At the moment, foreign holidays outside of the UK are entirely banned. The earliest possible date for when leisure travel will be allowed to resume has been set to May 17th, but this is yet to be confirmed. Scotland and Wales have both argued that this would be too soon.

This morning, the UK announced a new ‘traffic light’ system for when borders do reopen. Instead of the two-category system currently in place, there will be three categories for destinations. Airlines are non too happy with the new plan, which will still require all passengers to take a costly PCR test before travel. However, it could bode well for domestic tourism.

Gibraltar, Airlines, British Airways
BA is also commencing flights to Gibraltar from LCY in June. Photo: Getty Images

Ferrying football fans to Wembley

The three LCY services will also have commenced in time for the England vs. Scotland football match, part of the Euro 2020, on June 18th. The game will be held at Wembley stadium, with at least 22,500 fans in attendance, corresponding to 25% capacity. Hopes are that this figure may double for the semi-finals and finals. Attendees will be expected to have lateral flow tests or show proof of vaccinations.

For those still wishing to venture slightly further afield, British Airways has also announced it will add flights to Gibraltar from LCY twice weekly from June 25th. The channel island of Jersey will also get a service two times a week.

Are you planning to holiday at home this year? Why or why not? Leave a comment below and let us know. 



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