Propeller damage prompts cancellation of Stornoway-Glasgow flight

Loganair described the damage as "slight"

A Loganair flight from Stornoway to Glasgow was cancelled after damage was found on a propeller during a pre-flight inspection.

The aircraft had arrived in Lewis from Glasgow with passengers earlier on Wednesday morning.

Loganair said the damage was "slight". A replacement aircraft was flown to Stornoway and used to take 24 people to Glasgow.

The airline has apologised for inconvenience caused to passengers.

A Loganair spokesman said: "The pilot noticed there was slight damage to a propeller blade during the pre-flight inspection of the aircraft scheduled to operate the Stornoway to Glasgow service.

"A replacement aircraft was flown in to take the 24 passengers on to Glasgow and the aircraft is currently being repaired by our engineers.

"We would like to apologise to our passengers for the inconvenience today and reassure them their safety and that of our crew is always the first priority, as shown by the fact the aircraft was removed from service when the fault was found."

Last month, pilots union Balpa called on the airline to make major improvements to its repairs department.

Balpa claimed safety had been compromised because engineers were struggling to maintain planes that serve Scotland's islands.

Loganair chief executive Stewart Adams said the safety of its crews and passengers was its first priority.

He said the firm was losing experienced engineers through retirement but was dealing with the situation.