By Brian Smith, aviation reporter

NEW SCHEDULED air services from Dundee are set to be announced next week, confirming strong speculation over the past fortnight.

The chairman of Scottish airline Loganair, Scott Grier, and chief executive Peter Tierney, are expected to be at Dundee Airport on Monday to announce major expansion plans.

Routes suggested include the restoration of the Birmingham service, operated by flyWhoosh until their aircraft was withdrawn in early December. A revival of the Manchester route last operated by bmi in the 1990s has also been mentioned.

Yesterday the airline refused to give any information on their plans, and it was not prepared to say anything until Monday.

Loganair is understood to be one of two airlines the airport operators Highlands and Islands Airports have been talking to in the past three months.

From when it took over from Dundee City Council, Scottish Executive-owned HIAL said it would seek to expand the number of destinations offered from Dundee and last week reiterated that discussions were continuing with several airlines.

Loganair operates from Scotland’s four major airports, most of the islands airports and flies to Ireland, Norway and the Isle of Man, carrying some 500,000 passengers a year.

The arrival of Loganair will renew a link with Dundee Airport that began when both were in their infancy. The airline began as a taxi service for Logan Construction Co, and the plane they used was a frequent visitor to what was a grass strip at Riverside, during the building of the Tay Road Bridge.

Services from Dundee are likely to use the airline’s fleet of Saab 340 aircraft, the same type of plane that was flown on the Dundee Manchester route by Business Air and latterly bmi.