LBA New Routes

FlyBe to Exeter and Southampton:

Europe’s third largest low cost airline makes Yorkshire a major base
29th November 2004
Flybe., Europe’s third largest low-cost airline, is set to announce its intention to become the second major low-cost airline to make Leeds and Bradford International Airport a base for its operations. Flybe. will put 280,000 seats on the market at Leeds and Bradford, as it launches a raft of new routes early in 2005, emphasising its commitment to offering cheap fares to regional airports in the heart of key business and leisure destinations.

Flybe. will offer new daily services from Leeds Bradford International Airport to both Exeter and Southampton. In addition to the current routes flying to Belfast, the new services will travel to Southampton daily from 12 May 2005 and Exeter daily from 16 June 2005. Prices to Southampton and Exeter start from £19 each respectively and tickets are on sale today at http://www.flybe.com.

The move follows flybe.’s recent half year results announcement of a record £14 million profit, in addition to a 24% overall growth in passenger traffic and a 34% overall increase in passenger revenue.

The launch of the new routes out of Leeds are part of flybe.’s extensive summer schedule for 2005, which forms part of the airline’s overall strategy of continued investment and expansion of both its domestic and international route network.

Mike Rutter, Sales and Marketing Director, flybe., commented: ‘‘We have big plans in Leeds and Bradford. Whilst many of our competitors are route cutting and retrenching back to London, flybe. is expanding in the regions and is committed to bringing flights to your door. Opening up the routes to Exeter and Southampton have always been a priority for us, and we are delighted to announce our plans today. With Leeds and Bradford now fully integrated into flybe.’s European network, we’re going to be looking at adding more routes and more capacity over time.

“Leeds and Bradford has a successful and exciting economy which will benefit greatly from the increased business, inward investment and tourism traffic that will be delivered by these new routes. Flybe. is proud to link its route network to such a vibrant area.”

He concluded: “Flybe. would like to thank Leeds Bradford International Airport for creating a positive framework for this exciting route to be launched. Airports are catalysts of economic growth for regions and we are pleased to pay tribute to LBA for recognising and encouraging that role.”

Ed Anderson, Managing Director of Leeds Bradford International Airport said: “This development is a fantastic boost for the region and is a crucial stepping stone in further establishing the Leeds and Bradford area as a major economic force in the UK. With flybe.’s invaluable support, LBIA will be striving to continue to play its part in attracting further investment into Yorkshire as a whole.”

Air Southwest:

Air Southwest, the low fares regional airline, is launching new services from Leeds Bradford International Airport to Bristol, Newquay and Plymouth with fares starting from just £19 one way, including taxes and charges.

The new flights will start on April 11 next year. Fares from Leeds to Bristol will start from just £19 and to Plymouth and Newquay from just £29 one-way.

Tickets are on sale now through Air Southwest’s website, http://www.airsouthwest.com.

Passengers can also book car hire, accommodation and travel insurance through the website, and explore what the South West has to offer through a range of useful links.

Malcolm Naylor, managing director of Air Southwest, said: “We believe customers in the North will find our new fares and destinations very attractive and our instant online booking system allows them to check availability and buy their tickets in seconds.

“We’re confident this new route will be a great success with business and leisure travellers alike.”

Ed Anderson, Managing Director of Leeds Bradford International Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome our new business partner Air Southwest to Leeds Bradford, improving links for the people of Yorkshire to the South West of England. These flights will prove popular for both the business and leisure passengers and we’re sure this will be the start of an excellent working relationship.”

The South West is the UK’s most popular holiday destination with miles of golden beaches, hundreds of square miles of rugged open moorland, and some of the top visitor attractions in the country.

These include the Eden Project near St Austell, the Tate Gallery in St Ives, the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, Brunel’s SS Great Britain in Bristol and the World Heritage Site of nearby Bath.

Bristol International Airport provides access to 90 direct destinations and an additional 420 cities via international gateways.

Air Southwest was established in October last year and operates a range of domestic air services. It is part of the award-winning Sutton Harbour group which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

For more information visit http://www.airsouthwest.com

Sorry for such a long post, absolutely fantastic news for LBA, seems like we can expect more routes from FlyBe as well 😀