Kirkwall flights resume, but stranded passengers still face an uneven recovery

For some Loganair passengers trying to travel between Orkney and mainland Scotland, a cancelled flight meant needing somewhere to stay overnight. The airline said it arranged welfare support and accommodation where required after air traffic control staffing problems forced Kirkwall Airport to close early on Wednesday, October 28. ^{1 2}

By Thursday morning, aircraft were landing and taking off again. But that was a resumption of flying, not an all-clear: the airport operator said further short closures would take place on October 29, and an Edinburgh departure remained delayed in the late-morning flight-board check. ^{2 3}

The distinction matters for anyone deciding whether to set out for the airport. Kirkwall was not facing a continuing suspension of every flight, but neither had normal service been confirmed. Loganair planned an additional Edinburgh–Kirkwall return service, departing Edinburgh at 15:30 on Thursday, to help accommodate displaced passengers. That is a scheduled recovery flight—not the airport’s reopening time. ^{1 2}

The airport’s own flight board provides the clearest evidence of Thursday’s operations. When checked at approximately 11:54 UTC, it recorded arrivals from Edinburgh at 09:15, Aberdeen at 09:29 and Inverness at 09:55. Departures to Sumburgh and Glasgow had taken off at 10:38 and 10:41 respectively. These were recorded completed movements, rather than promises that later flights would run. ³

Inter-island services were moving too. Flights had arrived from North Ronaldsay, Stronsay and Papa Westray, while departures had left for North Ronaldsay, Sanday and Westray. Kirkwall, which connects Orkney off Scotland’s north coast with the mainland and other islands, was handling both parts of that network during the disruption. ³

There were still visible difficulties. The Edinburgh departure LM392, scheduled for 08:35, remained marked delayed at the check. Later services were listed as on time, but a forward-looking board status cannot establish that a flight subsequently operated. Nor does the record of morning movements show that air traffic control was continuously available between them. ³

That leaves passengers with a less tidy picture than either “airport closed” or “back to normal”. Some journeys were proceeding; others had been cancelled or were still waiting. The operator had not established an end time for all of Thursday’s short closures. ^{2 3}

Loganair told The Orcadian that Kirkwall’s air traffic control closed from 18:00 on Wednesday. Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, known as HIAL, attributed the early airport closure and Thursday’s further short closures to “unforeseen staffing issues” in air traffic control. No more specific explanation of the staffing problem, or number of unavailable controllers, has been established. ²

The cancellation list given by Loganair to The Orcadian on October 28, and reported by BBC Scotland on October 29, comprised Wednesday evening’s Edinburgh–Kirkwall return service, Wednesday’s Aberdeen–Kirkwall flight and Thursday morning’s Kirkwall–Aberdeen service. Those three described services represent four individual flight legs, because the Edinburgh return includes travel in both directions. Four is a count within that list, not a confirmed airport-wide cancellation total. ^{1 2}

There is an unresolved difference in the reporting of the Aberdeen-bound cancellation. STV News, reporting on October 29, placed a Kirkwall–Aberdeen cancellation on Wednesday; BBC Scotland’s October 29 account and Loganair’s statement published by The Orcadian on October 28 placed that service on Thursday morning. The accounts do not establish whether STV was describing a separate cancellation or giving a different day for the same one. That is not a sound basis for adding a fifth leg to the identified list. ^{11 1 2}

HIAL’s description of a “limited” number of affected flights should not obscure the consequence for the passengers on them. The cancellations interrupted mainland links in both directions, and Loganair’s arrangements included overnight accommodation where required. No verified passenger total or count of people accommodated has been provided. ²

Loganair said customers with affected bookings were being contacted directly about their options, including earlier flights where possible. It apologised and said it was working to get customers to their destinations. The extra Thursday Edinburgh return was intended to help clear the backlog, but its operation and the number of displaced passengers it would carry had not yet been confirmed. ²

Accommodation and an additional service are meaningful help; they are not evidence that every interrupted journey has been completed. The next concrete recovery milestone is the planned 15:30 departure from Edinburgh. Alongside it, the outstanding operational question is when HIAL can end the remaining short closures. Until then, the operator’s practical advice remains the most useful: passengers should contact their airline directly for the latest information on their flight. ^{1 2}