Flybe

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This article is about the airline that re-launched in 2022. For the original Flybe that ceased operations in 2020, see Flybe (1979–2020).

Flybe
IATA ICAO Callsign
BE[1] BEE JERSEY
Founded13 September 2020; 3 years ago (2020-09-13)[2]
Commenced operations13 April 2022; 2 years ago (2022-04-13)[3]
AOC #2470[4]
Hubs
Fleet size7
Destinations17[5]
Parent companyCyrus Capital Partners
HeadquartersBirmingham Airport
Bickenhill, Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands
Key peopleDavid Pflieger (CEO)[6] Kevin Hatton (Chairman)[7]
Websitewww.flybe.com

Flybe (pronounced /ˈflaɪˌbiː/), styled as flybe, is a British regional airline headquartered and based at Birmingham Airport.

History

Predecessors

Main article: Flybe (1979–2020)

The airline traces its history back to Jersey European Airways, which was set up in 1979 following the merger of Intra Airways and Express Air Services. The firm was renamed British European in 2000 and Flybe in 2002. In November 2006, Flybe purchased BA Connect, thereby becoming the largest regional airline in Europe. On 5 March 2020, Flybe filed for administration and ceased all operations.

Relaunch

On 19 October 2020, reports emerged that Lucien Farrell, in charge of former shareholder Cyrus Capital's European office, had formed a new company, Thyme Opco, to purchase the Flybe brand and relaunch the airline, subject to regulatory approvals.[8] The new owner planned to "start small and restore regional connectivity in the UK" from 2021.[9] On 1 December 2020, Thyme Opco applied for a UK operating licence.[10] Thyme Opco also registered a 21-year-old de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400, which was expected to be the first aircraft for the 'new Flybe',[11] though this particular aircraft was subsequently transferred to PAL Airlines in Canada.[12]

In April 2021, the British Civil Aviation Authority granted the new airline an operating licence as well as Type A and B route licences, enabling the carrier to operate both charter and scheduled services.[citation needed] The new company also obtained 86 slots at Heathrow for the summer 2021 season, to be used for flights to Edinburgh and Aberdeen,[13] though the airline has since transferred them to use on other European routes.[citation needed]

The 'original' Flybe company was renamed FBE Realisations 2021 Limited, with Thyme Opco Limited becoming Flybe Limited.[14][15]

On 3 June 2021, the operating licence for the original company was revoked following an unsuccessful appeal to the Transport Secretary. Despite initial beliefs that its legacy slots at UK airports had returned to the slot coordinator, this was shown not to be the case by coordinator ACL.[16] The new operating company also leased Heathrow slots from British Airways for routes to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.[17]

On 26 October 2021, the new Flybe Limited confirmed that it had appointed David Pflieger as its Chief Executive.[18] This closely followed the appearance of an ex-Flybe Q400, registered as G-JECX, which had been painted with a new purple-and-white livery.[19] In November 2021, the airline announced that it had picked Birmingham Airport as its new base, with operations scheduled to begin in early 2022 to "key regions across the UK and EU".[20]

On 16 March 2022, Flybe announced that Belfast would be the airline's second operating base.[21] The company slogan is Smile and go the extra mile,[22] although Let's flybe is used as a tagline.[citation needed] The first flight took place between Birmingham and Belfast on 13 April 2022.[3] The company aims to operate up to 530 flights per week on 23 routes, using a fleet of up to 32 Q400s.[23]

Throughout its first months of operation, Flybe faced several operational issues, which it blamed on late aircraft deliveries. 12 weeks after its launch, the company cancelled 3 routes, and reduced frequencies on 5 others, however stated they would return to their original frequencies during the winter.[24] Planned services from Aberdeen to Belfast, as well as Inverness to both Belfast and Birmingham never commenced. In September, the airline announced new service to the Isle of Man from Belfast and London,[25] however cancelled both services less than a month later, two days before the inaugural flights.[26] The company was criticised for giving Isle of Man's airport less than 30 minutes notice of its intention to cancel service,[27] and subsequently announcing similar routes from Newcastle on a near identical schedule, despite stating the cancellation was due to aircraft shortages.[28] In November, Flybe suspended flights between Leeds and London,[29] originally planning to resume the service in Summer 2023, however later confirming the service would be cancelled permanently.[30] In the same month, the airline suspended flights to Glasgow and Southampton until February 2023, and further reduced frequencies again blaming late aircraft deliveries, despite having taken delivery of two additional aircraft.[31]

Corporate affairs

The company's head office is on the second floor of Diamond House at Birmingham Airport,[32] within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.[33]

Parent company

Flybe Limited, founded in September 2020 as Thyme Opco, is a private limited company which is owned by Thyme Investco Limited - the majority of whose shares are held by DLP Holdings SARL,[34][35] an affiliate of American hedge fund Cyrus Capital Partners. This is the same company which was involved in the purchase of the original Flybe in 2019.[36]

Fare structures

Flybe's Q400 airliners are outfitted with 78 all-economy seats [37] and several different ticketing options are available.[38] All passengers receive a complimentary drink and snack on board, regardless of fare.[39]

Destinations

Flybe sells tickets on 22 routes to 16 destinations:[5]

Country City Airport Notes Refs
France Avignon Avignon Airport Terminated [5]
Brest Brest Bretagne Airport Terminated [5]
Toulon Toulon Airport Terminated [5]
Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam Airport Schiphol [5]
Switzerland Geneva Geneva Airport Begins 17 December 2022 [40]
United Kingdom Aberdeen Aberdeen Airport Begins 9 February 2023 [41]
Belfast George Best Belfast City Airport Hub [5]
Birmingham Birmingham Airport Hub [5]
East Midlands East Midlands Airport [5]
Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport [5]
Glasgow Glasgow Airport [5]
Leeds Leeds Bradford Airport [5]
London Heathrow Airport [5]
Manchester Manchester Airport [41]
Newcastle Newcastle Airport [41]
Newquay Newquay Airport [41]
Southampton Southampton Airport [5]

Fleet

A flybe de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 at Birmingham Airport.

As of October 2022, the Flybe fleet consists of the following aircraft:[42]

Flybe fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 7 5[citation needed] 78
Total 7 5

Flybe intends to operate an initial fleet of 8 Q400s, expected to expand to 32 aircraft.[23] Nordic Aviation Capital expects to lease 12 aircraft to Flybe,[43] and Aergo Capital is to supply a further five.[44]

References

  1. ^ "IATA – Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Certificate of Incorporation of a Private Limited Company". Companies House. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b Orban, André (13 April 2022). "Flybe's first flight takes to the skies from Birmingham Airport". Aviation24.be. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Holders of air operator certificates". www.caa.co.uk. UK Civil Aviation Authority. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Routes Operated". www.flybe.com. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  6. ^ Dyson, Molly (27 October 2021). "Re-emerging Flybe appoints new CEO". Business Travel News Europe. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  7. ^ Dyson, Molly (27 October 2021). "Re-emerging Flybe appoints new CEO". Business Travel News Europe. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Flybe set to fly again after brand is rescued". BBC News. 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  9. ^ Dunn, Graham (20 October 2020). "Interest in revived Flybe shows continued faith in regional opportunity". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  10. ^ Coffey, Helen (3 December 2020). "Flybe could soon take to the skies again". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  11. ^ Bailey, Joanna (22 January 2021). "Flybe 2.0 Becoming A Reality With First Aircraft Registration". Simple Flying. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  12. ^ "MSN 4014". Dash 8 World. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  13. ^ "UK's flybe. secures Heathrow slots". ch-aviation. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Change of name notice". Companies House.
  15. ^ "Change of name by resolution". Companies House.
  16. ^ Telford, William (13 October 2021). "Administrators look to claim cash from new Flybe company". Business Live. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Completed Slot Trades - Airport Coordination Limited". ACL Airport Coordination Limited Ltd. 16 May 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  18. ^ Ltd, Jacobs Media Group. "Reborn Flybe appoints chief executive". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  19. ^ Perry, Dominic (26 October 2021). "Flybe appoints ex-Ravn Air chief to spearhead relaunch as crew recruitment push continues". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  20. ^ Perry, Dominic (17 November 2021). "Flybe picks Birmingham as first UK base and HQ". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  21. ^ Bodell, Luke (17 March 2022). "The New Flybe Will Launch Ticket Sales Next Week". Simple Flying. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Safety Manager - Aviation". LinkedIn.
  23. ^ a b King, Ian (13 April 2022). "Flybe sets out to boldly achieve what no airline has done before". Sky News.
  24. ^ McDonald, Gary (7 July 2022). "More summer travel chaos as Flybe axes Belfast flights". The Irish News. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Flybe: Airline returns to Isle of Man with new flights". BBC News. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Flybe cancels scheduled Isle of Man winter flights". BBC News. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  27. ^ "Cancer patients may be losing out, TT 2023's "clear benefits", City of Douglas yet to mark the fact, Flybe gave less than 30 mins notice to quit and 40 years ago today Manx Airlines started. It's Update with Andy Wint #iom #news #manxradio - Manx Radio - Update". Manx Radio. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Flybe to link Newcastle with London Heathrow". Business Traveller. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  29. ^ "Airline drops service from Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA)". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  30. ^ "Airline confirms service will NOT be returning to Leeds Bradford Airport". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  31. ^ "Flybe to scale back winter operation in Belfast due to 'unexpected late aircraft deliveries'". The Irish News. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  32. ^ "Conditions of carriage". Flybe. Retrieved 21 May 2022. Our address is: 2nd Floor, Diamond House, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, B26 3QJ.
  33. ^ "LeisureParksEvents_Cycling_and_Walking_foldout_map.pdf" (PDF). Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  34. ^ "Flybe Ltd Companies House Confirmation Statement 2021". Companies House.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ "Thyme Investco Ltd Companies House Confirmation Statement 2021". Companies House.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ "Formation of Aviation Joint Venture – Company Announcement - FT.com". markets.ft.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Flybe Bombardier Q400 Seating Chart - Updated April 2022 - SeatLink". www.seatlink.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  38. ^ "Ticket Types". www.flybe.com. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  39. ^ "Onboard refreshments". Flybe FAQ. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  40. ^ "Flybe Adds Geneva to Its Birmingham Winter Schedule". Airways Magazine. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  41. ^ a b c d "Our Winter 2022/3 Network". Flybe. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  42. ^ "Search the G-INFO aircraft register | Civil Aviation Authority". www.caa.co.uk. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  43. ^ "NAC delivers one DHC8-400, MSN 4155, to Flybe Limited on lease".
  44. ^ "Flybe is now operating the first of five Aergo Capital Q400s under long-term leases". AVIATOR. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flybe&oldid=1124606302"