Flybe announces major expansion from London City

Flybe is to launch domestic and international flights from London City in October after signing a five-year deal with the Docklands Airport.

New flights to Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Exeter and Inverness have gone on sale immediately.

Flybe will base three aircraft at regional airports and two at London City, from where it is expecting to carry around 500,000 passengers a year.

Initially, it will offer four flights a day to and from Edinburgh and Dublin, three flights a day to and from Belfast and Exeter and twice daily flights to and from Inverness.

The airline said the new routes, launching on October 27, will provide direct links for customers in the regions to the heart of London’s financial district and will also appeal to "a significant number" of City and Canary Wharf-based passengers who need to access the UK regions and neighbouring European destinations.

"For these customers whose travel plans are time-critical, Flybe’s new services from LCY will prove especially convenient, being significantly faster overall than travelling via Heathrow or Gatwick, or travelling by road or rail," it said. "Routes to Edinburgh and Dublin are expected to be in particular demand."

Flybe is also planning to offer off-peak leisure flights to selected ski, regional French and Northern Spanish destinations.

It said more information about these routes will be announced in the coming weeks.

Flights between LCY and Edinburgh, Belfast City, Dublin, Inverness and Exeter are now on sale at www.flybe.com.

The airline said the agreement with London City follows its successful launch of eight new routes from Birmingham and a further four new routes from London Southend with franchise partner Stobart Air.

"It is also a major step forward in meeting the Group’s stated strategic objective to expand its branded scheduled commercial operation by developing new routes and bases within the UK following its successful fund raise of £150 million last month," it added. 

Chief executive officer Saad Hammad said: "Today’s announcement is a significant landmark in the re-birth of Flybe.  We are delighted to re-enter the London market at London’s most convenient airport following a rigorous profitability analysis utilising our strict route assessment model.

"Dedicating five growth aircraft initially to these new routes is a major statement of intent and we look forward to building a successful and growing presence there over the coming years.

 "Flybe is today already connecting over seven million passengers a year across the UK and Europe.  With a major London connection, we reaffirm our place as the UK’s largest regional airline."

 Declan Collier, Chief Executive Officer, London City Airport, confirmed the importance of the arrival of Flybe at the airport:

 "London City Airport (LCY) is poised for significant growth in the next 10 years – growth that will see it achieve 120,000 flight movements per annum, with an associated six million passengers by 2023.

"Today’s announcement is an extremely important step on that journey – Flybe will bring an immediate uplift of up to half a million new passengers to the airport.

"In addition, Flybe’s selection of routes serves to cement further LCY’s status as the business traveller’s airport of choice, underpinned by our ‘location, convenience and speed’ customer propositions.

"We look forward to a long and successful partnership."

Last May, Flybe pulled out of Gatwick after selling its take-off and landing slots at the airport to rival easyJet.