AIRCRAFT bearing the Flybe branding look set to return to Belfast City Airport within weeks.
The regional carrier, which had been the airport’s anchor airline until its collapse in 2020, has been resurrected by its new owners Thyme Opco.
After announcing Birmingham as its primary base in November, the company has said Belfast City will be its second main base of operations.
The list of flights and destinations are expected to be published next week.
But the business environment will be very different for Flybe in 2022.
Prior to its collapse, Flybe had operated around 80 per cent of routes at Belfast City Airport.
Since then, Aer Lingus Regional has entered the frame. And while its services were hit by the collapse of Stobart Air last year, new Irish carrier Emerald Airlines will next week launch the first of six routes from Belfast City Airport.
Scottish carrier Loganair and Humberside’s Eastern Airways are also providing competition at the airport.
Nevertheless, Flybe’s chief executive, Dave Pflieger, said: “Next week is going to be an exciting time for customers and communities that have been waiting to hear from us about low fares, new routes, and new destinations—all of which are being timed to coincide with the restart of the economy and a return to normality after two difficult years for all.
“Once we start flying from Birmingham, Belfast, and many other cities in the UK and EU, we are confident that a new and improved Flybe will provide customers with great value, more choices, and the opportunity to quickly and more conveniently visit loved ones, go on holiday, and more easily visit customers or attend important meetings.”
