News: Flybe to concentrate on UK domestic flights
Flights > News > # 952 (14/09/2006)
Despite acquiring a new fleet of Embraer 195 regional jets, Flybe's marketing director, Mike Rutter, has said that he expects the majority of the airline's future development to stay focused within the British Isles.
Flybe has just taken delivery of its first Embraer jet, which is scheduled to enter service on flights from Birmingham at the end of this month. The airline, which is the launch customer for the new aircraft, has a total of 26 on order. The plane is designed to give regional airlines the perfect balance between fuel economy and size, offering a similar cost per seat as larger jets such as the Airbus A320 series or the Boeing 737, whilst allowing airlines to open up routes where there wouldn't be sufficient demand to justify using bigger aircraft.
In a question-and-answer session about the growth of the aviation market in Western Europe at the World Low-Cost Airlines conference this week, Rutter said Flybe had long-term expansion plans to move into the French market, but that their focus for the foreseeable future would be on UK domestic routes, which make up 80% of the airline’s schedule.
"If ever there was a country which needed competition in its domestic market, then it would be France. Our fleet would be perfectly suited to operate more links between French regional cities. Of course, we will always be open to new opportunities, but we see our focus as remaining on our flights within the UK," Rutter said.
Rutter was also keen to point out how well Flybe has responded following the terror alerts of August 10. He added: “There might well have been chaos at the London airports, but most of our network is focused around other cities in the UK. On August 10, we only had to cancel six flights, and we managed to operate a full schedule the following day. A lot people are under the impression that every airport in the UK ground to a halt, but I think there is a story here that needs to be told about how well our staff, and those at the airports we operate from, responded to the difficult situation that they had to deal with.”
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