Regional airline Flybe has announced it has signed a five-year agreement with London City Airport to commence domestic and international operations there from October 27th 2014.

The move is part of a major expansion that will see the airline significantly boost connectivity between the UK regions and Ireland to and from London.

Flybe will deploy five growth aircraft for its LCY operation, with flights available to book immediately.

The aircraft will be based at three of its regional bases, and are expected to fly up to circa 500,000 passengers annually on a schedule that will see four times daily services from/to Edinburgh and Dublin, three times daily services from/to Belfast and Exeter and twice daily from/to Inverness.

These new Flybe routes will boost connectivity from the UK regions to London, providing direct links for customers in the regions to the heart of London’s financial district.

Flybe expects the new routes 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 quickly and efficiently.

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.

Routes to Edinburgh and Dublin are expected to be in particular demand.
 

Saad Hammad, chief executive, Flybe, commented: ““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.”

The agreement with LCY follows on from Flybe’s successful launch of eight new routes from Birmingham and a further four new routes launched 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.

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