Flybe to launch services from London City Airport

23rd Apr 2014 07:56

Regional airline Flybe is taking another step in its turnaround plan by launching services at London City Airport.Flybe, which has been cutting hundreds of jobs and closing bases to fend off the impact on its UK business of the economic downturn, said it had struck a five-year deal with London City to run services between the capital, the UK regions and Ireland from this October.It plans to use five aircraft to fly up to 500,000 passengers annually on a schedule including four-times daily services to and from Edinburgh and Dublin, three-times daily services to and from Belfast and Exeter and twice daily to and from Inverness.The group is targeting business travellers wanting to travel from the UK regions to the City and Canary Wharf.It also plans off-peak leisure flights to selected ski, regional French and northern Spanish destinations from London City, which is owned by Global Infrastructure Partners.Shares in Flybe, which is raising £155m to fund the new services and other expansion plans, rose 6p or 4.4% to 141p at 08:13 in London.PW