Scotland’s airline Loganair has announced a partnership with Norwich City FC, the football club closest to its English operational base at Norwich Airport.

The partnership, which has an initial three-year duration, will see Loganair become the East Anglian club’s first airline partner.

As such, Loganair will take over the exclusive management of all Norwich City charter air travel, including flights to select away matches, as well as ad hoc domestic travel. In a reciprocal agreement, Loganair will also become a sponsor of the EFL Championship club.

Loganair Commercial Director Kay Ryan said: “This is a very important strategic arrangement for us, as Norwich Airport is our only operational base outside Scotland. It shows our continued and growing commitment to the city and the airport.

“Like us, Norwich City FC has a passion to be the best they can be, and I know we’ll both go from strength to strength over the next three years. I’m confident this partnership will be to the mutual benefit of our two organisations.”

Loganair currently operates scheduled services from Norwich to Edinburgh and Manchester, and next summer will operate seasonal flights to Jersey.

For the launch, Loganair’s Dornier 328 aircraft was welcomed at Norwich Airport by Norwich City’s two Scotland internationals – Kenny McLean and Jordan Rhodes – as well as Scotland youth international Jon McCracken. 

Rutherglen-born McLean, who formerly played for St Mirren and Aberdeen, said: “It’s great for the Scottish lads that we have partnered with Loganair. It is really good that we can fly to some of those long away trips as it helps with our pre-match preparation.”

Norwich City Commercial Director Ben Kensell said: “This partnership is a really significant step forward commercially as it both benefits the first team requirements and boosts our commercial revenue streams. There are very few clubs outside of the Premier League that have an airline partner, so we are really pleased to have a long-term agreement signed with the brilliant team at Loganair.

“This business also concludes our partnership portfolio for the 2018/19 season and we are delighted with the growth achieved considering the loss of parachute payments. I would like to thank Loganair for their support and all our commercial partners which support the club so strongly.”

Parachute payments are a series of monetary sums spread over a period of four years which the Premier League gives to football clubs who are relegated at the end of a season.