Flybe relaunched with Birmingham base and no firm route plans
By Josh White
Date: Thursday 18 Nov 2021
(Sharecast News) - UK airline Flybe was relaunched with a new home base of Birmingham on Wednesday, although its route network was still up in the air.
The then-largest regional carrier in the country collapsed overnight on 5 March last year, becoming one of the first victims of the plunge in passenger demand at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It left passengers stranded across the UK, more than 2,000 staff out of work, and some airports where it had a large presence virtually deserted, with Southampton losing 95% of its services.
At the time it was preparing for a rebrand to 'Virgin Connect', after being sold to a consortium backed by Virgin Atlantic and Stobart Aviation.
The Flybe brand was sold by administrators to a company linked to former shareholder Cyrus Capital in October last year, with the new company gaining an operating licence, route approvals and landing slots in April.
A De Havilland Canada Q400 turboprop aircraft, registered G-JECX, was recently sighted in a new purple and white livery - the old Flybe's last livery before its collapse - as is expected to be the new airline's first plane.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with Birmingham airport, the city of Birmingham, and the mayor of West Midlands to make BHX the location of our new headquarters and first crew base," said chief executive Dave Pflieger.
"It was an ideal choice for us due to its great people and highly skilled workforce, its central UK location, and the fact that Birmingham airport is a global travel hub."
But while local politicians were celebrating the airline setting up shop in the West Midlands, questions remained over where it would fly - and whether it could remain viable.
Since the old Flybe entered administration, its profitable routes have largely been taken over by other regional and domestic carriers, including IAG's British Airways and easyJet, as well as Eastern Airways and Scotland-based Loganair.
The new Flybe has said it would "serve key regions across the UK and the EU", without offering any further detail on its route plans.
At the time of its collapse, the old Flybe had a fleet of 63 aircraft - 54 Q400 turboprops and nine E175 jets from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer.
It was based at Exeter Airport, and served 16 other UK airports and 31 international destinations in Austria, France, Germany, Guernsey, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
It also had franchise agreements with Channel Islands airline Blue Islands and the Humberside-based Eastern Airways, both of which have continued to operate under their own banners.
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