In The News Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 DALLAS – Fans of UK airline Flybe (BE) are rejoicing today. The rejuvenated airline took to the skies this morning as its first flight soared from Belfast City (BHD) to Birmingham (BHX). According to news.sky.com, flight BE404, using a Bombardier DHC-8-400, registration number G-JECX, was a full flight in a Y78 configuration. Flights from Belfast to Glasgow (GLA) will launch tomorrow, Thursday 14th, with more routes to come. Some pundits are dubbing the airline Flybe 2.0, as this airline is hardly the same one that collapsed and filed for bankruptcy in March 2020. That disaster, which killed Europe’s largest regional airline, left more than 2,000 employees without a job. This 2.0 airline is ultimately owned by the US hedge fund Cyrus Capital and looks very different from its previous namesake. Flybe G-ECOD Bombardier Dash 8-Q400. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways A Different Airline For one, it is based in Birmingham, where Exeter was its previous home. Its route structure is different, with Doncaster/Sheffield (DSA), Newquay (NQY), Malaga (AGP), Faro (FAO), and Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) no longer being served. Finally, the new Flybe seems to have accelerated the conversion to newer, more efficient aircraft that was just beginning when 1.0 failed in 2020. The new Flybe will operate eight De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops, which are quieter and less carbon-emitting than similar regional jets. According to www.news.sky.com, the airline hopes to operate as many as 32 of the type. Should Flybe 2.0 succeed, it will make history. No previous insolvent UK airline that was revitalized has succeeded. That success will be the responsibility of Dave Pflieger, who heads up the new management team. Pflieger has over 30 years of experience in the airline and aviation industry, having served as a CEO and senior executive at multiple public and private airlines. Dave Pflieger via LinkedIn He was also selected by Goldman Sachs to brief institutional investors on the U.S. airline industry, and hired by The World Bank to assist with the restructuring and privatization of a national airline in Africa. You can read his full LinkedIn profile at this link. Flybe CCO, Philip Saunders, told Sky News, “It’s important to stress this is a new company with new ownership and new management. We’re very, very focused on making sure that we’re creating a sustainable Flybe that can be a mainstay of the British aviation industry today and into the future. “ In an interview on Sky News today, Saunders noted that about 600 new jobs are being created by the airline. Also, some of the flight and cabin crew are from the old Flybe. Management chose the Birmingham base due to the Mayor of the West Midlands’ “enormous support” from West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and many other institutions, including the airport. The new routes were hand-picked by the management, and the airline expects that with the pent-up demand for air travel, these routes should be healthy and profitable. Flybe G-PRPD Bombardier Dash 8-Q400. Photo: Roland Rimoczi/Airways Route Structure The list of Flybe routes now on sale: Belfast to Birmingham from 13th AprilBelfast to Glasgow from 14th AprilBirmingham to Amsterdam from 28th AprilEast Midlands to Amsterdam from 28th AprilBelfast City to Leeds Bradford from 28th AprilBelfast City to London Heathrow from 28th AprilLeeds Bradford to London Heathrow from 28th AprilBelfast to Amsterdam from 28th MayLondon Heathrow to Amsterdam from 28th MayBelfast to Edinburgh from 23rd JuneBelfast to East Midlands from 7th JulyBelfast to Manchester from 7th JulyBirmingham to Avignon from 9th JulyBirmingham to Brest from 9th JulySouthampton to Avignon from 23rd JulySouthampton to Toulon from 24th JulyBelfast to Southampton from 28th JulyBirmingham to Edinburgh from 28th JulyBirmingham to Glasgow from, 28th JulyAberdeen to Birmingham from 18th AugustAberdeen to Belfast from 25th AugustBelfast to Inverness from 25th AugustBelfast to Newcastle from 25th August Featured image: Flybe G-PRPM Bombardier Dash 8-Q402. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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